Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality
by Ultima66
Summary: Decades have passed since the events of Elfen Lied, and the world has become a shadow of what it once was. Perhaps for the first time ever, the world has truly degenerated into dystopia. Have all the things that people before stood for finally vanished?
1. Chapter 1

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 1

Ultima66

"Your move," said the policeman, holding a gun pointed right at Mark's chest.

"I told you I'm sorry already! Do you think that I would want to be in this position right now?" he relied, pointing his own pistol back.

"You broke the law, Mark. You're under arrest, and there's nothing that either of us can change no matter what we think. You're going to have to go to jail with me," the policeman relied.

"Maybe the law isn't right. It's happened before, more than once too. Do you really think that the people you have to listen to all day are always right? Aren't they just humans, too? I made mistakes, and they can, too. Sir, if you arrest me, you're going to making a mistake," he said, "Look… I…"

"Be quiet!" yelled the officer. A warning shot whizzed over Mark. "If I don't take you in, then I'll still be making a mistake. The fact is, I'd rather listen to my superiors than you, and if you've got a problem with that, then you can take it to them when you go to court. Let's go."

Realizing that it was no use, Mark dropped the gun and allowed himself to be handcuffed and taken to the police car. It was late at night, and embarrassment filled Mark's mind as people who had been woken up by the sirens and the gunshot began to stare out from their windows at the scene going on below. Mark was led to the police car and forced to get in.

Slowly, he uttered, "Kakuzawa. Why did this have to happen?"

A hopeless question that no one could answer.

The cell was small and dark. It seemed clean enough, but to Mark it was seemed tarnished simply by being a jail cell. He wondered how people could have turned the world into this place. Of course, in this world, it became increasingly hard to even define what made a person any more. The world had changed too much in the last generation.

Kakuzawa was partly to blame, indeed. After his death decades ago, his entire plan came unraveled. When people found out that the one who had said he would try to stop the Diclonius virus was a Diclonius himself they started to become paranoid. Steadily, more and more groups of people began to attack the Diclonius, thinking that they were involved in a plot similar to the one that Kakuzawa had started and failed to spread the virus, and the world started changing more than ever before.

A renewed outbreak of hate began to surge, after so many years of working for a world of equality. Not long after, all living Diclonius started to be quarantined and all other humans were forced to stay away from the Diclonius by law. The world had gone into a frenzy, and Diclonius, parents of Diclonius, as well as suspected Diclonius began to be lynched and murdered and people by the mass began to be afraid of reproduction.

For essentially the first time ever, the human race began to decline. The world population had dropped to 4 billion, and Mark was upset at it all. Without doubt the Diclonius population had risen. Everyone had heard and knew in their minds that at least 30 of the world was infected by the virus by now, but everyone refused to recognize it. Even Diclonius themselves began to hide their horns and take action against other Diclonius in droves. When the Diclonius masses began to turn on each other, they realized that they could gain status simply by turning each other in. All the rapidity of the attacks on anyone accused of being Diclonius led way to tens of millions of innocent people being slaughtered over the years, and things were just getting worse as the birth rates no longer surpassed the death rates.

Underlying it all was the Restriction Law. It made it against the law for anyone to be in contact with someone that they knew was a Diclonius and not report them. This is what had happened to Mark.

"The world is hopeless..." he whispered to himself, "In all this hysteria people just don't even value life any more. Did no one learn anything from Lucy's death?"

Of course not that many people even knew about Lucy's death at first. It was her death that caused Kakuzawa's plan to come apart, of course, but other than that, no one really cared much for it. Or at least, his plan came apart prematurely and not enough people were infected.

"Kakuzawa was just one of them," he thought, "Not caring for anything but himself and his own plans. Even the Diclonius can't help from fighting themselves. All of the human race is imploding in a wave of hate and murder... I can't believe this. Amy..."

He wondered about Amy. Surely she was dead by now. He tried to cry, but he remembered his hate for the world and simply couldn't. He knew he wouldn't live for much longer. None of the people who were found breaking the Restriction Law ever did. The world had fallen to mob mentality, and almost nothing could save it, he thought.

That's all it was. Mob mentality. Fear everywhere, and everyone just went with it out of fear. People had always guessed the world would fall to governments that kept people ignorant, or governments that kept people thinking they weren't doing anything wrong. Who knew it could turn into this? Who knew that the world to fall to an extent where all resistance to the public was met with murder? And it wasn't even the government so any more. 95 of the deaths that year that weren't from natural causes were from lynchings. In a world where a corrupt government controls everything, at least there's a hope a public will some day rise up and meet the government with opposition. What could be done now? The public WAS the one that was corrupt. It destroyed all the belief that people were inherently good, and society simply collapsed.

Suddenly a policeman walked up to Mark's cell.

"Someone's here to see you," he said. Quickly the policeman opened the door and a woman stepped through the doorway as the policeman left.

"Janet? Is that you?" asked Mark. It was his sister, a few years older than him, with long dark hair and a complexion that hinted of buried trouble with the world. That same sadness began to spread to more and more people all over the world over the last few years.

"Mark... I heard what happened. I'm so sorry..." she said.

"Don't be sorry. The world is what it is. I can't stop them from doing this to me, whatever that means," he replied, and air of anger around him.

"But why?" she asked, "I never knew you would ever even meet a Diclonius."

"Don't be ignorant. We all know they're everywhere. There's nothing we can do. This world is too corrupt. Janet, I should be the one that's sorry, for putting you through this," Mark said.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for either. Mark, why didn't you follow the law? Did you want this to happen to you? You know martyrdom isn't going to help," she asked.

"Martyrdom? Do I look like a martyr to you, Janet? I know you're disgusted already at the way the world is right now, but think, Janet. What is it like to be in my shoes? Well I suppose you don't even know what's the worst part of it all: the part that makes me sick more than anything else because I've been through it," he responded.

"Mark, you're going to have to tell me what it is," Janet said, "What are you trying to say?"

"Janet... her name was Amy."

Silence.

After a moment, Janet spoke, "I see... Mark, I've never been in love, but I can understand enough to know what happened. Maybe... maybe they've really created a world without love."

"It's not that there's no love any more. Love just isn't the way to go any more. Love means nothing now. How often do you hear about opium now? It still exists, but other drugs have replaced it. Well, love's kinda like that. Love is all but dried out and everyone's hooked on hate," he said.

"Are you gonna be okay though?" she said.

"We both know the answer to that question, Janet. How can I be okay?" he quickly responded, "Does it matter to you?"

"Does it matter!?" she yelled, "Mark... I know how this world is, but... Mark..." Tears came to her eyes. "You're my brother, Mark. How can I just forgive this happening to you? We've all been through so much, but I'll be damned if you just give up right now. You know how much corruption is rampaging through the world right now. Mark... I really care about you as a sister and a family member. I've seen you grow up from being just a child! We've known each other our whole lives..."

He began to sob as well. "Janet... What can I do now? Whatever happens we'll just have to go along with. We can't fight the public. Janet, I've studied this. This tidal wave hasn't even hit it's peak yet. All the hysteria will just keep growing, getting harder and harder to stop. You think things are bad now? Wait till the crash. This could be the end of the human race as we know it, Janet, and out of the billions, we're the few that know what's really going on."

"That's not true, Mark. Lots of people know what's going on. They just keep it a secret."

"Then what's the point? This is exactly why it's getting worse! Everyone's so afraid of what will happen to them. Well the problem is that this time, it's the public. If it were the government, sure, million, even thousands of people could start a revolution. When we're fighting public opinion vs public opinion, we're going to need a majority. That means more than 2 billion people have to come out and say they want change, all of them at risk of endangering their own lives if they come out and try to make a change. You know how impossible that is?" Mark was yelling at this point. Janet, now crying heavily, ran out of the room without a word, her cries echoing throughout the jail cell.

He sat there, tears still flowing down his cheeks. He wondered how innocence could still exist in a world like this. Everyone had been taken in by the mob mentality. Images of death were rampant on both sides. People had to cope with knowing the world was wrong and still having to live with it, and the Diclonius had to live with a world where no one could be trusted and life revolved around staying alive.

Mark's thoughts trailed back to Amy. He shuddered. "Oh, Amy, what's gone wrong..."

He thought back to that day...


	2. Chapter 2

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 2

Ultima66

"Stay quiet, don't move," Mark thought to himself.

It was pitch black in the room. Mark felt a sudden tremble as he saw a flashlight turn on near the entrance of the room. The surrounding walls erupted in dull, orange light.

Hunters. The government's elite team of police especially trained for capturing and killing Diclonius. Of course, the had a record of not keeping civilians as safe as they would be even with Diclonius around. So he would die here. Barely 20 years old and dead. That was the world.

Mark was hiding under a desk, but he could feel the gun. He was sure everyone in the room could. Guns were too familiar to everyone to not know what one was like, even if they didn't see it pointed at them. An gunshot rang out. Mark heard the distinct scream and sudden silence of a man being shot in the head. It chilled him to the bone.

He could see as a man got up. A co-worker. He removed his hat, revealing his pair of horns. A Diclonius. The Hunter started shooting at the Diclonius, but it was of little use. Vectors were far too mobile and strong for simple bullets shot from a pistol. Mark saw the Hunter suddenly bend over, and a second later, his entrails had spilled onto the ground. Blood stained the ground and walls as more and more pieces of the Hunter began to come apart too.

The vectors, now stained in blood, could now be seen in horrific lucidity. He had at least 3 pairs of vectors, bloody immaterial hands pulling back from the dead Hunter as the Diclonius retracted the vectors. Just like human hands, Mark thought. The Diclonius had at least a range of 10 feet. Mark had known of the killing power of these shadowy little arms before, but he had never seen it personally. This was not the first time he saw death however: he'd probably seen a dozen people murdered innocently by the police as well as the Hunters before. He suddenly wondered how Diclonius could turn their vectors into solid at will and into something invisible and ethereal the rest of the time.

He didn't have much time to think, though, as the light suddenly cut off once again as the Diclonius smashed the flashlight quickly with his vectors. A few seconds later, however, the silence was again broken by an explosion, as he saw a small glowing blast coming from the head of the Diclonius. Drones, he thought. An innovation created to stop Diclonius. They were tiny machines, barely noticeable, that could pack enough explosive power to do small damage, but not actually really hurt anyone. They were deployed to fly to the heads of the Diclonius and attach to a horn then explode.

Mark heard yells of pain as the fragments of the Diclonius horn scattered across the room. Barely 3 inches tall and more of an obtuse triangle than a horn, they weren't very threatening, but conspicuous enough to tip off someone as a Diclonius. And in this shoot first as questions later world, it was no joke. The horns were sometimes hunted for sport even. As the flash from the explosion subsided, Mark heard a sound like a metal can bouncing around on the ground and coming nearer. Mark ducked for cover.

The grenade blast seemed to knock out Mark's hearing for a few seconds. He felt the force of the wind created by the explosion lift him up a few inches, then felt something heavy smash into his back. There was little he could see, but he still smelt the odor of burnt flesh and blood as it splattered everywhere in the room. Suddenly a table hit him in the head and he passed out.

Mark awoke with a splitting headache and a girl wrapping his head up with a bloodied cloth.

"It's alright now," he heard, "They're gone now. They were sent to kill that guy that tried to fight back. I guess they succeeded."

The thoroughness of it all sickened him. He was sure if they didn't succeed, more and more cops and Hunters would be sent to this place. Could the world really afford to give up 5 or 6 lived for each Diclonius they aim to stop?

"Who's still here?" asked Mark weakly.

As he opened his eyes he saw her: long, blond hair and a sweet face. The most distinguishing feature she had however were her eyes. They were a deep, dark red, almost unheard of among anyone. They seemed so dark and distant, but at the same time near and sad. She wore two small blue ribbon in here hair.

"Just me and you," she said. She looked down and Mark could see a tear come to her eyes. "He... was... my... friend... They were all my friends. Even if just for the moment... Why did so many people have to die?"

"I wish I could answer that..." Mark said. "I knew the Diclonius too. I didn't know him as a Diclonius, no, but I knew him as a friend and a co-worker. Diclonius are humans too, just like the rest of us... I wish they could just see that."

She seemed to shudder a bit at the words.

"My... my name is Amy," she said, "I wish I could call you a friend for longer than I'm going to be calling you a friend."

"My name's Mark," he replied. He paused. "I don't know what to say. The world's a paradox. You could always escape this hell though death, but then what would have been the point of our existence here? And besides, we'd probably end up in hell anyways, not that I don't think it would still be an improvement over this life."

"You're... not gonna really just give up on life, are you?" she asked, tears coming back to her eyes, "I don't want to see any more death."

"Don't cry..." Mark said, "The world needs more people like you. The world needs more people that can feel pain. It's like we've all just lost that ability now in today's world."

"You don't have any plans for life?" she asked.

"What life?" he said with some exclamation, "We have no lives here. We're all as good as dead as soon as we're born. Amy... I don't want to be mad at you. I just hate this world. There's nothing right about it at all."

"I don't hate this world. Mark, no matter how much life turns bad and everyone seems to hate you, I still think that this is my home, and there's nothing anyone can do to make me forget that," she said. She stared at Mark. He stared back.

"Those eyes... They're so... different. Amy, I'm always so mad at the world, so hateful of everything. Red is supposed to mean anger, but I don't see it in you. I swore I would hate the sight of red for all this death I see all around me, but your eyes give me hope, not dread. It's another paradox, yes, but... Amy, you're eyes are beautiful," he said slowly, carefully thinking through his speech.

"I'm glad you think so. I'm sure many will disagree," she said, partially happy but partially cautious at the same time, "It reminds me of her."

"Her?" he asked.

"Lucy, the last true pure Diclonius," she said, "It's not easy to be compared to the mother of all hatred this world knows."

They looked down.

Mark felt Amy's arms fall around his back as she grabbed him in a hug. He head fell on his shoulder as she cried into his shoulder. As her gentle sobs rocked him, he felt tears well up in his own eyes.

Mark closed his eyes and rested his shoulder onto Amy's then leaned back to the wall. He was still sitting against the wall, injured and covered in remnants of the dead, but here, sharing tears with a new friend, he finally felt safe.

"It's all wrong," Amy said through her sobs, "The world is all wrong. I don't even know my own family. Everyone's bloodlines have been cut so short."

"I barely know my own family. I know my sister's around, but she lives close and she's relatively safe. She's a lot more able to stand solitude than I am, but I guess in this world friends means death. I hope I haven't signed your death warrant, Amy," he said.

Amy didn't say anything, but continued crying into Mark's shoulder. He felt the tears through his shirt now, stinging his injuries slightly. Still, he wasn't bothered by it.

"Amy... Do you think we'll be able to just go on from this? Who will pay the doctor for me? How will I get money now that my workplace is a smoldering crater? Where do you work anyways?" Mark asked.

"Mark, I just get along. Whatever work I can find is alright, but I don't think we should be doing much. Personally, I switch from job to job a lot. Mark, you have insurance, don't you? It'll cover enough. I know it won't be much, but you'll be alright while you're recovering," she said, "I still think it's wrong of them to hurt an innocent man like you."

"Wrong? No more or less wrong than we are to be alive. We're all wrong. It's wrong to be in this world. You can't be living right now and be right," he responded.

"Mark, I'll get an ambulance to come get you..." she didn't want to say much. It was hard for her to accept the fact that there was no good left in the world, and she didn't want to accept it. She knew there were too many things left that just couldn't be evil.

"I'll just be waiting. Waiting for things to get better..." he said.

Amy walked outside of the room. Mark had just noticed that it was pretty dark out. It was still light out when the Hunters first arrived in the room. The artificial lighting was on, though it was blinking on and off from electrical circuit damage, and it wasn't very bright. He could hardly imagine it. An entire office torn to shreds by Hunters in a few minutes. The death of his co-worker was still fresh in his mind. He knew there were at least 2 other people in the room with him, and Amy had said no one else was alive, so it meant they must have been killed by the blast as well. In his mind he still saw the explosion, still felt the force of the wind, still felt the burning heat of the blast, and still tasted and smelled the scorched flesh all over the place.

Amy returned a minute later.

"Just hang tight, Mark. You're not bleeding right now, so it's nothing that could be fatal. At least nothing on the outside. I... I hope you're not in pain right now."

"Amy, I'm just fine. I can't move, or at least I'm afraid to move my body, but it's nothing that bad. By the way, I wanted to ask. Where were you when they came in here anyways?"

"I was on my way here to give a present to Peter, you know, the guy they were after," she said, "Well I saw the place locked down by Hunters and I knew something was wrong. I ran into a hiding spot nearby and then waited for them to leave before I came in here to see how much damage was done. I'm glad you're not a casualty."

"A gift?" he asked.

"It's Peter's birthday today," she said. She began to cry once more, "I... I... I only wanted to wish him a happy birthday. I never even got to see him again..."

Her cries brought lost feelings to the heart of Mark. He sighed. Suddenly the ambulance was heard pulling up to the building.

"They're here," he said, more to himself than to Amy.

He was put onto a stretcher in pain, but then he lay there for the rest of the trip in more comfort than he had been in previously. As the ambulance was getting Mark's stretcher into their car, Amy asked the driver how Mark looked.

"Well, he's got a few broken ribs, but he doesn't have any serious external injuries and as far as we can tell nothing bad internally either. He's one lucky son of a gun to be still alive here through a grenade blast," he said, "Now, how long has he been here?"

"Quite a few hours now," Amy said, "Is that good?"

"Well, I'll tell you what. If he had a serious internal injury, he wouldn't be here by now, so yes it's good news to hear. We just have to get him to the hospital now and let him rest. Are you gonna be checking up on him?"

"I guess I'll come to see him once in a while, depending on how long it takes for him to heal," she said.

"Well you know where the hospital is, right?" asked the ambulance driver.

"Yeah I do," she said.

"Then we gotta get going," he said, "Hope to see you again on better terms."

The ambulance rode off with Mark in it. Amy held up her head as it was pulling off and stared at the ambulance. Her eyes followed the vehicle all the way to the horizon until it vanished off in a turn and folded into the mass of unknowing, hateful vehicles the rest of the world owned.


	3. Chapter 3

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 3

Ultima66

Author's Notes: Okay the 2 people that read this, I want to say that at this point, this whole story sounds terrible to me, just like all my writing. I think it was poorly done and a lot of things in chapter 2 especially could be made a lot better. Well, I want to make it up with this chapter, but I bet that I'll still think it sounds stupid. Hey, if everyone else likes it I'm happy. 

"Mark. Are you awake Mark?"

Mark opened his eyes. Amy's red eyes met his.

"Amy? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," she replied.

"You should tell me. I just woke up. Do you know anything from the doctors?"

"They said you were going to be just fine," she said. She sat down next to him. "I was worried for a little bit, Mark."

"Uh, what day is it?" he stared out the bright window, "And what all happened to me while I was out?"

"It's been two days, but I don't know what happened to you. I never asked the doctors here and they never told me when I said I was visiting you," she said.

A nurse walked into the room carrying a clipboard.

"Hi, Mark," she said, "Glad to see you're up now. And you have a visitor? Well, I'm just here to tell you that you can go soon."

"Oh, she's a friend. Uh, excuse me, but would you mind telling me all that happened after I came here?" asked Mark.

"Well, you were just a bit bruised up. You were lucky you didn't have any broken limbs. You were out because of a small concussion, but you'll be recovering just fine," she smiled.

"That's good to hear," he said, "I'm a bit hungry, though. What time is it right now?"

"It's almost 2 in the afternoon. I'll bet you're hungry, though. You haven't eaten in two days! I'll go get you something to eat." she said as she walked out of the room.

"So, you gonna get home soon? I'll bet your sister at least heard about what happened and she's worried," said Amy.

"Probably not. I don't really talk to my relatives all that much, neither my parents nor anyone else. In fact, Amy, my rent should have just ran out, and I'm obviously out of work and I don't have any money left..." he looked down, "I really don't know what I'm going to do."

"Mark, don't worry. If you want you can just stay with me," she said, "I have a place to myself, and there's enough room. It's not like I have anyone else to take care of anyways." She smiled.

"Of course.," he said smiling back, "You should know I can get pretty annoying to live with."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," she replied. They laughed, just a little tension left in their voices.

Mark was walking around Amy's house. His legs felt weak, but he was at least able to walk around just fine.

"Amy, this house is really nice. It's more than I deserve," he said.

She looked down in embarrassment, "Aw, you don't have to say that. It's not that nice, and I'm sure you got along better than I did before all this happened."

"All this..." he said quietly. Visions of the Hunter attack flashed through his mind. Mark stared into space as all of his senses flared to the memory of what took place only a few days ago.

"Mark? You there?" said Amy, "You zoned out for a minute. Are you sure you're alright?"

"The doctor said I was alright, didn't he?" he said, "I'm just thinking about what happened is all."

"Oh, I see..." she said, "Mark, I'm going to go get the room ready. I don't have a second bed, so I'll just sleep on the floor I guess."

"You don't have to do that. I can sleep on the floor," he replied.

"No, it's my house, and you're the guest. You can have my bed. I insist," she said, "Now go ahead and make yourself at home."

Mark sat down and sighed, still thinking. The world had become so complicated. He had always been used to a life of working and wandering from day to day just keeping things paid off. Sure, insurance covered his hospital stay, but his apartment was out of rent, not a fault of anyone else, and his job was gone, something that insurance couldn't fix. He was as good as fired.

Suddenly, a small picture frame on a nearby table caught Mark's eye. He walked over to it and picked it up. It was a family portrait.

Amy, only a preteen at the time, stood in the middle, two adults who were obviously her parents standing at either side. In her mother's arms a young baby was held. Mark wondered what had become of her family.

Still, it was easier to not wonder. Mark couldn't think much of his own family. His parents were nowhere to be found, and he didn't keep much contact with his sister. Everyone was on their own in this world, whether or not they wanted to be.

He felt a piece of paper attached to the back of the photo frame. Mark pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a letter, obviously written years ago. The paper was yellowed and crumbling, and the ink was light, almost fading into the paper, no longer looking like ink on paper but more like ink soaked into paper. There were smudges of writing where it was apparent some kind of water had gotten onto the paper. Mark read:

"We have to go. We don't know where but we just have to get out of here. Maybe we'll be back sometime, maybe we won't. Either way, we can't keep her any more. The world's changing, and maybe we have to blame ourselves but a young girl like this is too much for what we've got.

"We've known you as neighbors for years now, even since before our Amy was born. We know you well enough to know that if this isn't the right thing to do, then there is no more right. Look, I know that you two are the only ones that we trust and can actually take care of her. Please do what you can, and even if you can't, we don't blame you.

"I know how this looks, but you have to understand. We still love Amy. She was our first child, and no matter what, she'll always be in our hearts and on our minds. If we could just take it all back and make this all right again we would, but as it stands right now there is nothing left for us to do but leave.

"Enclosed is a key to our house. Amy is sleeping in her room. We couldn't dare say goodbye to her one last time. It's painful enough that we have to do this, and even as we're doing this to her, we know there's no other way for us. Some day you'll find out why we did this, perhaps. Until then, goodbye, probably forever."

Mark felt uneasy. Slowly and with hesitation, the words escaped him, "So this is why Amy is here right now..."

Amy walked into the room. "Hey Mark. The room is..." As she noticed the old letter in Mark's hand she suddenly stopped speaking. Tears came to her eyes and she suddenly ran back into the bedroom crying.

"Amy... Come back..." said Mark, "I really think I should talk to you about this."

Still, she kept on running. Mark followed her into the room. She was on the ground crying like Mark had never seen before from anyone.

"Amy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any harm," he said.

She softened her moans to speak. "Mark... I... I know... it's not your fault..." she tried to catch her breath, "It's just... I loved... my parents. I just don't... know what happened to them."

"You had a sister?" asked Mark.

"Yes..." she began to wail again, "She... left with them."

Mark looked down. "Amy... this isn't the right time." He saw her crying form and felt pity in himself. "Amy... tonight you stay on the bed. I'm sorry about this. I want you to be comfortable."

She didn't respond, apparently a sign of her content. Mark walked over to her and embraced her. Her body was warm and full of life, and it gave Mark and ease to be close to her like this that he had never felt before.

He helped her to get up and walked her over to the bed. Then he set her down and left to let her cry her feelings out.

"We can talk more when you feel better," he said as he left the room.

Mark walked into the bedroom. "Hey, Amy. Are you feeling any better now? I hope you're hungry, cause went ahead and made some food from what I found around your house."

Amy looked up. The signs of crying were still there, but she looked a lot better now. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm so sorry for going off like that. Hey... It's your first day here and you're already cooking for me?"

"Well technically for the both of us, but yeah..." he said with a smile.

Amy got up and followed Mark to her dining room. They sat down and ate. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the two of them at least.

"So Amy. That letter really didn't say much, you know," said Mark cautiously, "Amy I was hoping you'd tell me more."

She hesitated for a moment, then decided that Mark should know what had happened. "Mark, I was raised until I was 11 by my parents. Then they just left with my sister all of a sudden for some reason. I don't know if I'll ever hear from them again," she spoke slowly, with sadness in her voice, "The neighbors raised me for a few years – they didn't have any kids. When I was 18 I moved out to go try to make it on my own. Here I am now, a few years later, but I haven't heard from my parents or my neighbors ever since. Sometimes I wish there was someone else in my life for me to know this world hasn't gone crazy."

"I'll always be there for you, Amy. No matter what," he said.

The last words made her shudder. Under her breath, silently, she said, "If only you knew..."

She tried to smile. "Mark, thank you. I'm so glad I met you..."

"You work?" he asked, "Because I think I'm gonna have to get a job some time."

"I work normal hours. It's alright, though. You don't have to get any money for me," she said.

"I need to pay you back eventually. Anyways, I can't be stuck at even if I'm not working, so I might as well," said Mark.

The next morning he saw Amy off, then walked back into the house, getting ready to go himself. He didn't know where yet, but he wanted to just get a look at the outside world again after all that had happened. Mark had lost all his possessions with his apartment for sure, which was really just clothes, but he would have to do something about that soon. His car was towed to the hospital after the incident so he still had that at least.

The day was clear. The sun shone down bright and yellow, making the whole screwed up world look normal for the time. Mark made his way to the complex where he used to live just a few days ago. He wanted to see what had happened to his room.

As he walked into the manager's office, he was quickly greeted with, "So you're back, eh? You're place is gone now, and I dumped out all your stuff. Next time don't make a mistake like not paying your rent and leaving."

"I was injured," Mark said disdainfully, "And it doesn't matter. I just wanted to be sure what happened. I already have a place to stay."

"Good for you," sarcasm rang in the manager's voice. "If you've got nothing better to say, just go. The room's been rented out already."

Mark stormed out of the room. It was impossible to find an ounce of compassion from anyone in this world, it seemed. Anyone but Amy, at least he thought. He made his way to where his room had been located, staring at the doorway. The new inhabitants had hung up a wreath on the doorway.

Mark turned around. He slowly walked down the hall, taking in all the details he knew he missed when he still lived there. He opened a storage cabinet door.

Suddenly he jumped backwards. The figure of a young girl, probably not even 10, in a green dress hung there. A chair was by her feet, and nearby on the ground a small stuffed animal that she had carried with her until her last moments. It was a suicide. A note lay on the ground.

With caution Mark over and picked up the note. There was nothing spectacular about the writing, just that it was written by a child. He looked over at the girl hanging there and felt tears well up in his eyes. It couldn't have even been a day ago. The storage closets at this apartment were checked and locked every night. Scared to death he read the note:

"Dear Mama and Papa,

Mama

Papa

Where are you?

Even if you're gone now I'll still love you.

Bye Mama. Bye Papa. All I really wanted was to see you two one last time befor it was over.

One last time. That's all I want. If I was still aliv, I'd ask for that for my birthday or Christmas, just to see you two one more time.

I wanted to be with you forever.

I love you Mama and Papa. You'll never ever read this but I love you so much.

I'm so sorry. I'm not gonna cry any more. I should be all grown up now. I can't cry.

I know I'm weering nice clothes rite now. But these clothes that Nana gave me will never be what you got me Mama. I love you too much. The things you gave me are a lot more important to me.

I really really really really missed you.

Well I can't say anything else. Goodbye now. I love you forever.

Sinserley,

Darlene"

Tears started rushing down Mark's face. He closed to door quietly and began to cry out. He had seen too much. An innocent girl so young that she didn't even know what the world was like had been forced to hang herself. He picked up the stuffed animal. It was a white bunny.

Holding it in his arms the agony of the scene came to life again, and he continued sobbing.

After several minutes, he stood up slowly. Mark walked over to the young girl's body. He would keep the note. The rest of the world wouldn't care about it. Still sobbing Mark reached over and held her tiny hand in his. It was cold and limp.

Mark started crying again. Squeezing the little girl's tiny hand, a single word escaped from Mark's lips.

"Why?"


	4. Chapter 4

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 4

Ultima66

Mark reached over and embraced the girl's stiff body. Cold, Nothing.

So this was death. This was the death that mocked the very being of life. She was so seemingly alive, yet very much not so. Mark could see her standing there, full of life and energy, but instead, she was hanging there, dead. It seemed to be death's laugh, mocking life in a bitter parody, true yet untrue all at the same time.

Mark let his arms drop from her side, and then sat down, letting his tears flow to the ground. He didn't have much time, but he had to make what he could of it. To honor the memory of her, even if it was only the memory of her death, to let the world know what it had become to drive innocence to the brink of extinction, that was all that mattered. Mark thought for a moment, and then, holding her grim yet subtle letter, walked over to the workroom in the complex. He made a copy of the letter, walked back, and left the original where he had found it.

He then looked at the girl and closed his eyes to pray. His prayer rang through his mind, and he hoped that some God somewhere could hear his words. He wanted and end. Somewhere else in the world, another soul had lost its innocence; somewhere in the world, another person had died needlessly. Not for their country. Not for their leader. Not for themselves. Needlessly.

He looked up. He couldn't stand the look of the cold, lifeless face, but he took note of something else – a ribbon in her hair. He reached up and untied it, and held it for a moment before putting it into his pocket.

Mark looked up at her dead eyes. They betrayed and expression of sadness but serenity at the same time.

"Goodbye, Darlene, and may God have mercy on your soul. You've learned what the rest of us haven't yet: that this world isn't fit for life any more," he said.

With that, he walked out of the room and closed the door.

The world seemed eerily quiet. Mark walked all the way back to his car in silence, the surrounding world veiled in a strange and profound lack of noise that Mark hadn't taken notice of on his way there.

It was still early in the morning, so he couldn't go back to Amy's house yet. He opened the door to his car and a sense of confusion gripped him. What was he supposed to do now?

He noticed a small object attached to the rear view window above his head. He reached up and took hold of it. It was clipped to the stem of the mirror.

Unclipping it, Mark held it in his hand and looked at it. It was a metal bird, shaped in a way where the head reached back around to its tail, forming a ring about an inch in diameter. Mark wondered how something like that had ended up in his car. He turned it around in his hand. On the back of the trinket were imprinted the words "Fantasy World -E.F." Strange.

Mark wanted to go look for a job, but he didn't feel right any more. Not after what had happened today. He wanted, no, needed to go tell Amy what he had seen, but he didn't know how.

He drove to Amy's house regardless, and then parked and got out of the car. As he stepped out of the car, he noticed the sun behind a cloud. Mark wondered why it intrigued him. The cloud was dark, yet light shone through. Blinding darkness, almost black light. It seemed like the sun was caught in a net, but was breaking through. Mark scoured his mind for a reason that this caught his interest, but he could find none. It was one of those strange metaphors that he didn't understand while making perfect sense all at the same time.

He walked up to the front door and unlocked it. Going back into the house, he still felt that sense of confusion. There were so many things that he couldn't explain. In his heart he felt that Amy would be able to help, but she wasn't there and he couldn't find her. He went over to the computer and turned it on, still trying to get all the thoughts out of his head.

Something still bothered him. That little trinket that was inside of his car just felt completely odd to him. He was sure he had seen it sometime before, or at least it had some meaning to him, but he didn't know what exactly. The only people that had his car were the ones that towed it to the hospital, and it wasn't like tow truck drivers to leave things in the cars that they tow. Besides, his car had been locked up the whole time. Was it there before the incident ever happened? He couldn't remember any more.

He looked up the inscription online. The only thing that seemed to make any sense was a poem written by someone named Edward Fletcher. It was strange. There was no real apparent pattern in its lines and stanzas, but still captured a strange interest in Mark's mind. He read it.

Fantasy World

By Edward Fletcher

A song is sung,

To that world that sits over the horizon,

It sees all and sees none,

Not today, but tomorrow.

The world, ephemeral little piece of time,

Vanishes suddenly without notice,

It is a phoenix,

Out of ruin comes prosperity,

Out of death comes an even greater life,

Not today, not even tomorrow, but some day.

As the final embers of the old fire die away,

A new spark takes,

Fire starts and spreads,

Raging across a new plane of existence.

It is this phoenix,

The phoenix is the world,

It lives; breathes; knows,

It knows of the wrongs of the world.

The phoenix knowing its death,

Falls ever closer to it,

Falls and falls,

Willing its own destruction,

So that the spark,

Can once more catch flame.

This is the fantasy world,

This is the truth,

Not today but tomorrow,

Not tomorrow but some day,

Not some day, but every day,

The world will die, and bring forth new life,

It is the endless cycle,

The ouroboros.

Mark felt strange. Could it be true? Would the world perpetuate its own demise until that untimely day when all life ceases? Would it them come back up, creating an even better society than the one that was there earlier?

He remembered Darlene, then thought of the poem. As the world fell deeper and deeper into ruin, was it really perpetuating its own destruction? Perhaps... Maybe it was all just a master plan of the universe to allow the destruction of the world to go on until it could resurrect itself.

Just then, the doorknob began to rattle and the door opened. It was Amy. Mark turned around, and then got up to greet her.

"Hey, Mark. I took off work early today. It's my first day leaving you here so I wanted to see if you were okay," she noticed his expression, "Mark... are you okay? You look..."

"Bad? Amy, a lot happened today," he said.

He tried to say something... He needed to tell her what had happened, but it seemed like he couldn't. It was almost all above him, like the matters were too great to discuss by a person like him.

"Mark..." Amy placed her hand on his shoulder, "Please tell me."

Her touch seemed to give him renewed energy and life. He told her the story, everything that had happened. It brought tears to her eyes about Darlene's death, and she sat through all the explanation about the poem and the little trinket that he found in his car.

"Mark... I just don't know what to say," she spoke softly, "Do you..."

She was unable to find the words to complete the sentence.

"Oh, I thought you needed to see this," Mark said, taking out his photocopy of the letter.

Amy read through it, holding back tears.

"You have any idea what happened that would have made her do this?" Mark asked.

"Don't you realize, Mark, what this means?" she said.

"What does what mean? She's dead, Amy. What else is there to it?"

"There's a reason... Mark, there's a reason, and I know that reason. I've lived through it," she said.

"I still don't get what you're talking about..."

"Mark..." she was crying, "Don't you understand? You're so... You look at things and you just don't get how everything's related. Nothing happens because it just happens, Mark, things happen for a reason."

"Amy, tell me... Why did she kill herself?"

"Her parents died. She was alone. No one there to help her at all. Haven't you seen yet what the Hunters are doing? They're destroying families, causing the deaths of more innocent people than they even realize..."

"Oh... I never thought of it that way... I see. Amy, I... I don't even know what I thought exactly. I mean, I guess I was so caught up in the shock of seeing her dead that I never even stopped to think what in the world would have made something like this happen..." he said slowly.

"Mark," she said. She turned around, not wanting to look at him. "You're so stupid sometimes..."

"Amy..." he said, "I'm sorry. I just didn't know..."

Amy turned around. Mark put his arm around Amy's shoulder and led her over to the couch. They sat down.

"That poem..." Mark said, "At the end it said something about the ouroboros..."

Amy looked at him, "The circle of life and death..."

"Do you think it's correct? The whole thing about the world ending and starting over again?"

"I hope to God that it's right. I don't want to see anyone have to live through this hell." she said.

"Me neither..." they were both silent.

They stared into each other's eyes. Their eyes betrayed them. Always, everyone's eyes betrays their outer masks. They both knew what they felt about each other, but were too afraid to say it.

Mark could see it, too, and for a moment he knew that she could see it in him as well. In silence, they embraced each other, letting their masks fall. They had no anger. They had no sadness. All their was to them was each other.

They kissed, and the warmth of their bodies tore away the coldness of the world that had crept its way into their hearts.

Neither of them breathed. It was midday, but it seemed like night – the world didn't know anything about them, and it didn't need to. They held their kiss until they both ran out of air and broke apart, gasping for oxygen.

With their eyes closed, they held each other close, and both of them knew what this meant.

"Amy..." Mark whispered into her ear, "I love you."

The words made Amy shudder. She knew what she was doing and what she felt inside, but something made her feel like she was doing something wrong. Her eyes snapped open and she pulled away from Mark's embrace.

"Mark..." her heart was beating hard, "I... I'm really sorry..."

She quickly got off the couch and ran to her room, locking the door.

"Amy..." Mark whispered as she ran off.

Mark felt alone, empty. He knew what he saw in her eyes was real, and didn't know why she was doing this. They weren't kids; they knew well enough what they were doing. Mark knew he cared about her, for all the things that she had done for him and all the things that she had gone through in her own life. Both of them were lost souls that were looking for a home, and they had found each other. He asked himself why she would run off like that.

Then Mark felt into his pocket. Darlene's ribbon was there. He felt the sadness of seeing her dead well up inside him once again, but knew he had to do something.

He went over to the picture frame of Amy's family. Pulling out the ribbon, he wrapped it around the corner of the portrait and tied it.

"I'll tell her when she's ready to talk," he said, "If she ever wants to talk to me again, that is..."

It was the middle of the day, but Mark felt like there was already far too much that had taken place in that day.

He lied down on the couch and tried to sleep, the warmth of Amy's body still in the cushions, the taste of her kiss still flooding Mark's tongue.

Eyes closed, he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 5

Ultima66

Mark awoke to the sound of Amy's voice.

"Hi Mark. You got in some sleep?" she said.

"What time is it?" Mark's head hurt from tiredness and the knowledge that it was still sometime the same day.

"It's a bit late for dinner, but I got you some food anyways. We'll eat a bit, then there's a lot I need to talk over with you," Amy said.

"Alright."

They ate slowly, for there was so little else to do. It was silent, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was almost as if their souls were there, doing the talking that didn't exist. Mark stared over to Amy, gazing at her shirt, then her pearl-colored skin, at her long blond hair, and then at the blue ribbon she seemed to perpetually wear in her hair. She was very pretty, he thought. Then he stared at her eyes and suddenly became lost in the crimson features. They were absolutely entrancing to him. Amy noticed this, and she looked up at him, meeting his stare.

"Mark, what are you looking at?"

"your eyes, Amy. They're beautiful," he said.

"Mark? You're weird," she looked away and closed her eyes for a moment, ending the trance.

"You said you wanted to talk, didn't you?" he asked.

"We'll talk. Let's just finish eating right now," she told him.

They finished several minutes later. Amy directed Mark over to the living room, and she sat down on the couch, motioning for Mark to take the seat next to hers. There's was a slight bit of tension in the air, and something strained her smile.

Mark sat down. "Amy, are you okay?" he asked.

"Mark, when you kissed me earlier today..." she broke off her speech.

"What about it?" he was starting to get worried. Mark didn't know what he would do it Amy told him that she didn't like him.

"I'm just so confused right now, Mark," she said, "I wish someone would tell me what was right and what was wrong." She reached her arm around Mark's chest and helm him tight. She felt his heart begin to beat harder and harder.

"Amy, I really don't want to cause any trouble. I'll say what you want me to say," he told her. Still, he knew he wouldn't lie even if he had to. His feelings had brought him too far for that.

"Mark, it's not that I don't have feelings for you. It's just that... Well I can't really say it myself, either. I don't know how to put this at all," she said, shaking her head. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I want you to tell me the truth. How do you really feel about me?"

"Amy, you know I love you. I said it already," he said. The words only brought more tears to her eyes. "Amy, I want to know what's wrong. Will you please say it? I promise I won't be mad at you." He stroked her hair and back, his head resting on her shoulder as he took in her scent. It was sweet, like a rose, and Mark quickly began to lose himself in her again.

"Mark, I'm so sorry for everything. I've kept a secret from you that I should have told you a long time ago. Please forgive me," she said. The worst suddenly came to Mark's mind. What if she loved someone else? What if she had to go away soon and they'd never see each other again?

"Amy, please, PLEASE tell me what's bothering you so much. I can't bear to see you like this," he started gripping her body as tightly as he could, feeling her heartbeat race and keep pace with his own heart. Tears began to come to his eyes as well.

"Mark, I really love you. I just can't do this. It doesn't seem right to me," she said.

"How can that be true!?" he yelled, gripping her even tighter, and feeling her suddenly choke a little from his grasp, "Amy, we love each other. What could be wrong about that? I just don't see it."

"Mark, you're another person out there. You're one of them. But me, I'm... Mark, I'm so scared to say it," she said, shivering from all the emotions surging through her.

"Yes, Amy?" he felt her confusion and panic, and began to feel bad. He was scared that the whole conversation had hurt Amy, and he didn't want that to happen.

"I'm a Diclonius, Mark," she said softly in his ear, the words slow and articulate, then backing away and removing the ribbon in her hair, letting it fall down and letting her horns show.

Mark jumped and his heart seemed to skip a beat. For a moment it was like all time had stopped, and the world was suddenly vanishing. Mark felt faint, and everything seemed to go in slow motion. He couldn't breathe, and he knew he needed air but couldn't move himself to use his diaphragm, as if every muscle in his body has suddenly shut themselves down and refused to work.

"A-A-Amy?" he said, stuttering but regaining control of himself, "I really had no idea. I don't know what to say. Not at all." His voice was dead and cold, like he had no more heart in the words.

"Mark, I love you so much, but I can't live like a normal person. Everyone hates me. You do too, don't you? Watch, tomorrow the Hunters are going to show up at my house, and they're gonna shoot me. And I'll be dead because you told on me. But I don't care any more!" she yelled, crying into Mark's shoulder, barely able to speak, "I love you so much, Mark, and I can't lie to you any more. I just can't lie any more. Even if this means I'm going to die, Mark, at least I know I told the truth about how much I loved you, and that's all that matters now."

Mark suddenly realized what was going on. "Amy!" he yelled, trying to calm her down, staring into her eyes, "I love you too, and no matter what, I would never let you get hurt. Please, stop crying. Even though you're a Diclonius, I still love you, and the world's rules can't change that no matter what, even if everyone else in the world thinks we're wrong. I'll just sit here and be wrong with you."

"Thank you so much, Mark," she said, "I can't believe you would do this for me. You... you realize you could die for this too, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he sounded stern and resolute, while Amy was still crying a little, "It means nothing. You're what matters. Better two souls die knowing they were right than let themselves be swallowed up by the soulless world outside."

"Mark, you have no idea how much that means to me," she said.

They broke apart and stared into each other's eyes. Then, slowly, they came closer together and kissed. No more restrains. No more reservations. All that was left was that the two loved each other. Even if one of them had horns, even if the rest of the world hated it. It was all nonexistent. They had found their shelter and salvation. They had found a way to end the hate.

They held the kiss for what seemed like hours, both of them almost completely running out of air. They both broke apart and began to breathe hard.

"Hey, Amy. We should do something important for a minute," said Mark, reaching into his pocket.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

He pulled out Darlene's ribbon. "We should go ahead and make a memorial for Darlene or something. We should know at least we'll always remember her for who she is. It's so sad, too."

"Oh, okay. That's right," she said. She seemed to be a bit distracted.

They went into Amy's backyard, and picked up a few sticks on the ground. They shaped them into a cross and tied it up with Darlene's ribbon. Then they dug a small hole and put the cross into it. The two then went inside and wrote a small eulogy for Darlene together.

"Hey," Mark said, "What happens if it rains? The memorial will be ruined."

"Oh, that's right. Well, I have a glass case inside. We could put it in there."

They took out the stick in the ground and took it inside, where Amy took out her glass case. It was a small box, about a foot tall and several inches wide and deep. It had probably been used to store a trophy or something. They put the small memorial into the box, dusting off the soil on the bottom of it, and then rolled up the sheet of paper with the eulogy on it and placed it into the box as well. Then they closed it and put it up onto a shelf.

"Wait, there's something still missing from it," said Mark. He reached into his pocket. He took out the small phoenix ring that he found clipped on his mirror in his car. Pulling out the rolled up eulogy, he took out the copy of Darlene's letter from his pocket and rolled it up with the other paper. Putting the ring around the rolls of paper so the bird formed a band around the rolls of paper, he put them into the box and closed it, only to be opened once more ever.

"Alright, Mark. Now it'll always be here with us to remember her. Another dead Diclonius that did nothing wrong but was born from Diclonius parents," Amy said.

"You know, the way you say that, it makes it seem like a bad thing," he replied. Amy shuddered a little.

"Mark, I didn't expect you to think like that. If you love me as a Diclonius, you still won't accept other Diclonius? What's so bad about being one exactly?" she asked him.

"I guess nothing at all... It's just that I've learned from childhood that..." he said.

"I know what they've told you," she cut in, "But it's wrong. Diclonius are people just like everyone else, and you should know that. You know me don't you?" She shook her head.

"Amy, I'm really sorry," he said, "The world really is a cruel place, isn't it? I could never be a Diclonius, though, I'm not strong enough to live through a place as horrible as it is for you."

"I'm not that strong. I've always been waiting for someone like you to come and help me through all this," she said.

"It looks to me like you've made it this far just fine, haven't you?" he said.

"I guess so, but it's been really hard. Well, I mean, keep it a secret and it's no problem, but just lying to everyone has been so hard. You have no idea what it felt like to finally be honest to you, Mark," she said. She remembered herself wondering if she would die because Mark would betray her.

He walked over to Amy's side and put his arm around her. "Let's go sit down."

They went over to the couch and sat down. The glass memorial could be seen to their side.

"I'm glad all this trouble is over with," Amy said.

"Well, the trouble is just beginning, but before we were alone. Now we have each other," Mark said, "Do you think... Do you think we should marry?"

"As a secret of course. You know that the world would never be able to really marry us. Any time something like marriage is involved, they'll check you to see if you're a Diclonius," she said.

"Oh, well I didn't know. I always thought it was an opportunity. Then again, what kind of wedding would there be? We have no one to invite anyways."

"Yeah, we'll be together, just not officially. It's not like anything that an official says is worth listening to anyways these days. I hate this world so much..." Amy said.

"Don't talk like that. You're alive right here aren't you? You can't hate this world. That would mean you hate me, and that you hate this," he came closer to her and they kissed again. Mark felt Amy's heart beating, and he again fell into a trance of passion.

When they broke apart, Mark put his hand up to her head and felt her horn. It was hard and rigid, like a bone or tooth. "It would be pretty annoying to have these, wouldn't it?"

"Why? Well, I don't think they're annoying, if only everyone else didn't hate me for it. But then again, I've always had them, so I don't know what it's like without them. And Mark, I don't hate you. I guess I don't really hate the world, but I don't like it. Not without you there," she said.

"I'll always be here for you. I promise," he said, not knowing if he could really keep the promise.

"And I'll always be here for you. You're now in as much trouble as I am, if you really decide to walk this path," she said, "I promise I'll be there for you too." Amy, on the other hand, felt she would have to keep the promise. It was all she had to live for, or so she believed.

They relaxed into each other's arms once more. Mark reached his hand back up to her horns, continuing to ponder them as a curious child would.

"Hey! Stop that!" Amy joked, "They're pretty sensitive, you know."

"It's so sad for so many people's lives to be determined by those," he replied.

"You know, horns aren't the only thing special about Diclonius," she told him. He could feel something on his back pushing him closer to her, while he saw her arms were around his neck.

"You guys have vectors. Right," he said.

"Don't forget it," she said. A glass of water lying on the nearby table floated up and towards the two of them.

"Hey, what are you doing with..." Suddenly the glass tipped over and splashed all over Mark, soaking his clothes. "No fair!" he yelled. Amy was laughing.

"You look so funny like that," she joked, setting the glass back onto the table.

"Amy, I don't have clothes here. What am I gonna do now?" he said, a little mad.

"Oh, I got some for you while you were sleeping. I hope they're your size. I thought it would make up for running off from you this afternoon, I guess," she said, "You can go ahead and take a shower and change if you want. I was just having a little fun with you. You have no idea how much people hate vectors. It feels so different actually being able to use them for something happy."

"I'm sure it does," he said smiling to her. Amy pulled out a change of clothes for Mark. "They seem a little big," he said.

"Better than too small," she told him.

"It's alright."

He took a shower and came out in the new clothes.

"That looks really nice on you," she said.

"Oh, don't joke about it. I know it's horrible, isn't it?" he said.

"Are you trying to say I can't pick out clothes for you? Hmph."

"Oh, fine, they're good. Hey, Amy, it's a bit late. You wanna shower?"

"Yeah. I need some time to relax. You should just go ahead and go to sleep. I'll be out and go to sleep after that," she told him.

"In my own room, right?" he asked.

"Don't even go there, Mark. You've only been here for one day," she said, a playful look on her face.

"That's why I asked," he replied with a laugh.

He went over to his room and lay down. After a minute of relaxing there, he walked over to the lights and turned them off, then lay back down and pulled over the covers. Mark fell asleep with thoughts of everything that had happened that day running through his head, the good as well as the bad.


	6. Chapter 6

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 6

Ultima66

Author's comments: Uh, well, I'm putting this up here after I'm actually done. I love this chapter personally, so yeah... Oh, and props to anyone who catches the song reference in this chapter (it's near the end), not that many will because of my taste in music. 

Mark's eyes opened. It was still dark, and he could only see the faint glow of moonlight coming through the window. He got up, making his way to the door of the room in the dark.

Mark walked out into the hallway. He looked at the clock in the living room. It was 3 in the middle of the night. Still, he wasn't tired and didn't want to go back to sleep.

He walked to Amy's room and opened the door. The soft moonlight bathed it in a heavenly whiteness that was dark but bright at the same time. Mark sat down on Amy's bed. Feeling the movement she unconsciously stirred and turned away from him.

She looked like an angel. In the absence of much color in the room he could still see her long blond hair. She seemed to have a smile on her face. He stared at her horns. To Mark they seemed cute, like they had always been there and conspicuous, not foreign in his mind at all. Did he always subconsciously know she was a Diclonius? Maybe, maybe not. He put his hand on her shoulder. It was soft and warm.

Mark turned Amy to face him, and leaned down so they were face to face. Closing his eyes he breathed in, taking in Amy's scent. It was flowery-sweet, and being there made him feel that he knew everything was alright. Eyes closed he felt his lips graze hers, and he made an effort to lightly kiss her. Then he leaned over her head and whispered into her ear.

"Amy. I love you so much," he said softly.

"Mark?" he heard back.

He got up and smiled at her. Amy's eyes slowly flicked open and she looked back at him, her red eyes seemingly glowing in the moonlight, a stark contrast to Amy's blond hair, milky skin, and the white sheets.

"I'm trying to sleep. You're making me hot. I'm gonna start to sweat soon," she said, unenthusiastically. Mark managed a smile at the remark.

"What will I do tomorrow without you?" he said.

"Find something. I have to work," her turned around and tried to go back to sleep.

"That's fine, I'll see you tomorrow night, then."

"You mean tonight. It's really late. I'm tired. Just go," she said.

"Bye," he said. He walked off, going back to his own bed.

The day passed fairly quickly. It had only been a few hours but Mark had already begun to miss Amy. The whole time he wondered whether this was what retirement was like, no longer anything to do.

The door opened. Amy stepped inside, ribbon still in her hair as it always was when she was outside.

"I've missed you," Mark said.

"I've been really missing you too. It's strange, how we could feel this way even though it's been only a day. Well, less than 24 hours," she said, a smile on her face.

"Well, I guess what they say is true then. People spend more time working than they do spending time at home," he told her.

"Tomorrow is Saturday you know. We'll have a whole day to ourselves," she told him.

"Yeah it is. You wanna go somewhere?" he asked her.

"Well we can sleep in. I think we should go to the beach and spend the day there. Then we'll go eat out if you want. After that we come back home and spend the night together, just the two of us? What do you say?" Amy said.

"It sounds wonderful," he said, "Well, we should eat now and see what else we can do for the rest of today."

"I'm really tired. I think I'm gonna just have dinner and take a shower and just go to sleep," she said.

"We've still got the night. Don't you want to do anything?" he asked her.

"What's there to do? I'm really tired, and we can be ready to do something tomorrow," she said.

"I mean, it's a bit early. When do you want to get up tomorrow?" he asked.

"Hm, I'll tell you what. Tomorrow, we'll get up early and go watch the sunrise. Just us. No one else will be there. We can forget the world, even if it's just that moment," she told him.

The sun had set and the night was dark. They ate and then Amy took a shower. Mark waited patiently and then took a shower and went to sleep. The following day was on their minds as they fell asleep.

Mark could hardly fall asleep. He was anticipating the next day far too much. Everything had changed. A few days ago he would have never guessed that he would end up like this, with Amy. Now, a fullness enveloped his heart and he knew something had gone terribly right in his life, even through the disaster. Still, he thought, the world had only given to him, not taken. What had it taken? There was no real disaster. His job? It was probably meaningless. His coworker? He didn't really know him that well in the first place. Mark finally realized that his life had been up to this point a blank slate, and now he had finally found something to paint there.

In his mind hung the idea that for every good there was a bad and for every right there was a wrong to counterpoint it, but he didn't even want to think what could go wrong. For now, all that existed was himself and Amy. He thought he could sense Amy thinking of him at the same time.

He awoke with Amy whispering in his ear. It reminded him of how he had awoken her just the day before.

"Get up, Mark. It's time for us to go," he heard her say softly. He turned to face her.

He could see her beautiful gaze. Entranced in her, he whispered, "Kiss, me, Amy."

Amy smiled and put her arm around his back as they closed their eyes and their lips met. Mark held his breath as he savored the moment. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally broke apart and stared back at each other.

"Well, what time is it?" he asked her.

"The sun should start to rise in about half an hour. There's a meadow by our house. We should go there to be alone," she said.

Mark quickly dressed and got ready to go.

"Are we going to bring anything?" he asked Amy.

"No, we can walk. I planned for us just to be together, with nothing else in the world there. Only you, me, and the sunrise," she told him. It seemed so beautiful and romantic in Mark's mind, as he was sure it was in her mind.

The walk was nice and peaceful. It was dark, but not too dark. The moonlight was still shining but the sky had started to lighten up. When they got to the meadow they held each other and sat down. Amy leaned into Mark's body and they both sat there talking until the sun was into the sky.

"The world can be a cruel place," Amy said.

"I know. It's been so cruel to you and all the other Diclonius. Do you even think they'll think of burying Darlene? She's not a Diclonius, but obviously her parents were killed innocently. Is it right to take away the lives of so many people?" he said.

"I don't think my parents are still alive. At some point when I was a kid, I just kind of felt that my parents were gone. It wasn't that they left, either. After they left me I could still feel that they were there, but over time, I just felt that they vanished from my soul altogether," she said.

"You don't know how sorry I am," he said.

"Hey, remember that poem? This kind of reminds me of it. Look at the sun. It's so beautiful. It's like creating a new world right in front of us. The night is so different from the day, it's like a whole universe is being unveiled right in front of our eyes, like a phoenix rising up out of the ashes," she said.

"You're right. It's really nice. Amy, I'm so glad you're with me. I really just can't say how much this makes me happy," he said.

"I feel the same way. Trust me. Mark, when you're a Diclonius, you don't really tell anyone you care about them that much. You just learn not to. It's too risky no matter who it is. Anyone in this world can sell you out," she said, "I know I don't say it as much as you do, but I probably feel even stronger for you than you do for me. My whole life I've felt empty and worthless, and now I've finally found you,"

"Well you do happen to be the only person I've ever loved this much," he said.

"Diclonius. Not so much a person," she said.

"Why not?" he said, "I don't see how you're different."

"It's not that I'm different. The world treats me different, and if we're living by the world's rules, then I am different," she said.

"Then why are we still following the rules? I told you, Amy, it's just you and me. Nothing else matters," he said.

"There's the sun," she said, staring up into the crimson sky.

"The sun is nothing more than a ball of gas. If you want to we can forget about the sun too," he said.

"I think it's nice."

They looked towards each other again, and they held each other closely once again, lips locking in harmony. Amy reached her arm behind her head and slowly pulled off the ribbon that hid her horns. Mark looked at them and thought they were beautiful, and a sense of peace floated through his being.

"Oh, Amy. There's nothing I'd rather see right now than this. You've already made this day so perfect," he said.

"We've got a lot of fun ahead of us today," she whispered to him.

Their voices were soft. It was a quiet morning and no one was around, but they still felt compelled to remain quiet. As the sun made its way farther and farther into the sky, they got up and started making back to Amy's house hand in hand, feeling the warmth of each other's beings.

They walked all the way back to Amy's house for breakfast. It had been several hours already, but neither of them really cared. Suddenly, Mark looked at Amy.

"Hey, you're not wearing the ribbon," he said.

"So? What's wrong with that?" she said.

"We just walked a little bit of a ways. And now it's not dark any more. Someone could have seen you," he said.

"Oh, you're right... Well don't worry too much about it. It shouldn't be any big deal." she told him.

They ate fairly quickly and got ready to go to the beach. Amy changed in her room and walked out a few minutes after going in clad in a red bikini.

"Oh my God," Mark said, staring at Amy.

"What is it?" she replied.

"You're so beautiful. I can't believe it," he said.

"Oh be quiet. I'm not that much to look at," she said embarrassed.

Mark then put on swim trunks and they both wore a shirt and jeans over their swimwear. Then, they went over to Amy's car and drove down to the beach.

The beach was fairly crowded. It was a Saturday morning, and it was an opportune time for people to go and have fun in the water. They found a spot and set up an umbrella and chairs.

They looked out towards the rest of the people there. They seemed very happy and uncaring about the world's problems, just as Mark and Amy should have been. Still, something gripped their minds.

"Mark, with so many people, it's hard for me not to try to be cautious. I'll try to act normal, though," she said.

"It'll be fine," he said, "Look at all the people here. They seem so happy. You would never guess how they'd really react to seeing you as a Diclonius." He whispered the last few words slowly, with no real enthusiasm in them.

"We shouldn't worry. Things will be fine," she said.

They had fun at the beach. They stayed there for the whole day, getting food from a restaurant nearby when it was time for lunch and finally going home for dinner.

"It's a shame to leave the place behind. I'm getting tired of the water though," Amy said. She walked over to the shoreline and dug into the sand for something.

"It's nice, I agree. I'm never going to forget this," he said.

"We've got time still. We'll come back here someday," she told him, "Whenever we have time would be nice."

She walked over to Mark, holding an opened clam shell. Amy broke it into two where the joint was and gave one of the shells to Mark.

"Keep it. It's really nice, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Amy, you know, I'm really glad you're the one helping me out with my life and all, even if you're the one who needs it more. I wonder how I'll ever pay you back," he said.

"You never have to give me anything back. Isn't that how it should be? I'll do anything for you, even if it's not necessary, because I want you to be happy," she told him.

The sun was setting, bathing the sky in a rich red and purple and yellow that was almost as magical as the sunrise that they had watched together. They left for a restaurant and ate dinner there, people all around. It was a bit uncomfortable, but to them it didn't matter too much. The food was nice still and it was good just to have this chance to be outside of the home.

"Today was magical. I can only imagine tonight," Mark said to Amy.

"I'm sure you'll be even happier, hm?" Amy said.

"We're quiet," Mark said.

"I like it this way," Amy told him. Suddenly, the room seemed louder, but even through their soft voices they could hear each other lucidly.

"Amy, is it strange?" he asked, "You seem to be the one in charge of taking care of me. I wish I could be there to take care of you for whatever you need, but it seems like you don't need my help. You're always so on top of things. It's amazing to me, I don't know about you."

"Why would it be strange to me?" she said, "I've been hurt inside, yes, but I'm here and I'm glad that things are good right now.

After dinner, they made their way back to Amy's house. When they went inside, Amy went into her cabinets and pulled out a bottle of something.

"What you got there, Amy?" Mark asked.

"Something I've been saving for a special time," she said, "It's pretty old now. I've had it for quite a few years. But now, Mark, I don't think I need to keep it for any longer. Would you have a glass with me?"

Amy got out two wine glasses and reached to open the bottle. Mark stopped her quickly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"There's something," he said. He reached over to her head and removed the ribbon. Then, together, hand in hand, they opened the bottle.

The wine was wonderfully sweet and strong. After just the one glass Mark began to feel a bit less like himself. Still, it made the night feel so much warmer and nicer that he didn't even care. He noticed Amy start to turn a little red from it.

"You having fun?" he asked her, smiling at her.

"As much as you are, right?" she said.

"Of course. Amy, tell me this. What governs us right now?" he asked her.

"Nothing, Mark. Nothing but ourselves," she said.

"Is it really true?" he asked, "Don't the laws of the universe govern us? Time and space?"

"Space, no. We live in each other's souls, and that goes beyond physical law, doesn't it? But what about time?" she said.

"Amy, let's throw time away. Let's find that hill. That hill where time doesn't pass by, and only the world around us changes to the changing time," he said.

"What do you mean exactly?" she asked him, "Time doesn't pass by?"

"No, let's find our place where time no longer exists to us. No time, no space, no other people, just the love that we share. Love is a fragile and fleeting thing, but if we can throw everything away but the love that we share, maybe we can keep it alive for just long enough for us to never need to ask for anything else," he said.

"How about..." she said, looking at the hallway connecting the rooms, "In there?"

Mark smiled, "It's as good a place as any to start looking."

"I think we can stop looking right there. Not just yet though," she said, "We still have time."

"I thought didn't need time any more," he said, "Right?"

"Of course. We can throw time away with everything else," she said.

They talked the night away, though neither of them could really tell when it was when they finally left for Amy's room, tipsy from the wine and happiness of the talking.

Amy lay down and Mark got on the bed next to her. Amy started to kiss him, as they both embraced each other.

The world, the room, the people, the horrors of society, the night sky, and time all melted away leaving nothing more than a simple reflection of all there was and would always be for the two, perhaps no longer even two any more. They felt as if they were one, and that's how it was supposed to be.

Warmth, love. Warmth, love. Everything else disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 7

Ultima66

He couldn't believe it. He was in bed, the girl he loved in his arms. She was the girl of his dreams, and he was the man of her dreams, if nothing else because she had been tortured her whole life by the world. Was it natural? A relationship developing so fast, almost in a blaze. It couldn't be but it had to be and was at the same time, especially in a world where nothing was natural any more.

Mark leaned forward, reaching his neck around Amy's head and taking in the scent of her hair. It was heavenly. Everything was heavenly. His eyes were closed but they didn't have to be open, so long as he knew where everything was. At least, his everything, and at the moment, everything to him was Amy. Her horn grazed his head, and he had already grown accustomed to it. It was strange to him, in fact, that he didn't have horns, since he had known horns so familiarly by now.

"It's Sunday," Mark whispered into Amy's ear.

"It's been Sunday. We were awake when it turned midnight," she mumbled to him.

"Yes, but now it's Sunday morning. The sun is up," he said.

"Want me to open the curtains? You're more awake than I am," she said, still sleepy.

"I'm tired too. I'm just thinking about you," he said, looking at her dreamily.

Amy got up from the bed and put her clothes on, leaving Mark to fall down into the bed without her body as support. He felt warm and began to lazily drift into sleep.

The curtains opened, letting a glow of yellow light into the room. Mark suddenly realized he was falling asleep again and sat up, shaking his head and squinting his eyes in the light.

"Well, I'm gonna go do my hair and brush my teeth. Get up when you're ready, but don't take too long. It shouldn't take me too long to get breakfast done," she told Mark.

Despite her words, Mark lay back down into the warmth of the bed. The mattress and pillows kept the scent of Amy strong and vivid in his mind, and gave him a sense of warm comfort.

Before he knew what was going on, Amy was yelling at him to get up.

"Mark! I'm already done making breakfast and you're still asleep? I thought you were up already," she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep," he said.

He scrambled to get dressed and brush his teeth and get food before it got cold. He thought about the wonderful life he finally had. Then he wondered what would happen if he ever lost it. A shudder of worry began to crawl into his stomach and he had to dispel it by hearing Amy say she loved him.

"Amy, I love you," he said to her. She felt it was pretty strange for him to make this arbitrary comment, then she just decided to go along with it.

"Mark, I love you too," she said to him. Still, the feeling of uneasiness lingered in him. He looked away from her.

Amy paused at this strangeness in Mark. "Mark, are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

He looked back at her, "I'm just fine. Amy, can I be honest with you?"

"Sure, I guess." Worry filled her heart expecting him to say something horrible.

"I've just been thinking. Now that I've finally found you, the one I've been looking for my whole life, I can't help but worry at the thought of losing you. You're a Diclonius, and that means a lot, not to me, but to everyone else," he said.

"Please don't worry," she said, "I can't be happy when you're thinking like this anyways. I want both of us to be happy."

Mark stopped thinking of it, but the morning has still been ruined, the sweet atmosphere broken and forgotten.

The day dragged into the afternoon uneasily. The day was nice, and everything was quiet.

"Mark, you wanna do anything today?" Amy asked him.

"I don't know, what did you have in mind?" he said cautiously.

"I guess we can just stay home and do nothing. Ah, what good is a break from work when there's nothing good to do?"

"Oh, there's got to be something to do. It's not like I can think of a place I'd rather be right now," he said.

"I guess," Amy said, "Still, what do we do?"

"You tell me. It's your house," he said.

"Well, there's not much to do here. I've been really lonely, Mark. I spent most of my time out in the garden, taking care of my lawn and my plants. I watch TV sometimes too," she told him, "And sometimes I'd talk to friends on the phone. I have a few close friends, anyways, not many though."

"Hard to believe. You're a really nice person, you know," he said.

"Nice to you, sure. I'm probably nice to other people, too. I'm just shy and try not to be around people too much, and you know why," she told him.

"Well, I guess you know now what can happen when you open up," he said.

"No, if I had opened up before I'd have gotten arrested," she said. Mark twinged at the mention of it, both of them knowing full well what consequences that offense led to, and it certainly wasn't arrest that bothered them the most.

"Maybe. It's nice that no one but me knows right now," he said to her.

"Well, even when I told you, I was worried about you telling on me," she said, "You remember?"

Mark remembered. She was crying and screaming that even if she was going to have to die for her offense, or at least the crime of being a Diclonius, hardly a real offense at all yet punished by death, she still had to let Mark know that she loved him. And of course she did love him. She had trusted him with her life, allowing Mark to kill her at any time with simply a word, and not caring about the consequences because she wanted to give herself up to Mark, and of course, in return Mark had given his own life to Amy, because once he did not betray Amy initially, he could die for simply having ever known a Diclonius.

"Amy, how about I help you out in the garden, then we just watch TV for a while. Something might come up," he said to her.

"Sure, I'd love to have you there with me," she told him.

They went out to the back of her house and watered everything that needed watering. After a few days of not being attended to, just about everything needed water. Mark had been out here before, but he was just now beginning to admire the beauty of the garden. It was obviously well-kept; he suspected it was because Amy simply didn't have anything else to really do around the home.

There were a few weeds growing in the grass, and they had to pull them out. After they were sure everything was taken care of, they sat around for a while and just talked, sitting down in the grass looking around and admiring the garden.

"It's a really nice place," Mark said.

"I think so too," Amy told him, "I think of it as even better than my home. There's more room to be free here. In the house, some things just have to be in certain places. Here, there's no rules. Everything just goes where I like it."

"That's a nice way to think of it," he said, "As free as anything could ever be."

"Not us," she said, "We're trapped in this society. I hate it. It's so lonely and desolate. I love this garden because there's so much innocent life here. All the plants and flowers and birds and other animals are all my friends, in a world where I can't find any human friends."

"It sounds like you're degrading me," he said.

"I don't mean it like that," she said, "It's just what I've been used to being a Diclonius. Like how when I first told you I was one you were shocked at it even though you loved me. It's just the way the world has brought us up. They tell us to think and behave a specific way, and everything we're doing now is completely going against what we're used to. So of course, we're going to think things that aren't completely true any more, but we can't help it."

"I just wish we could change it though," Mark said.

"I do too. All the Diclonius do. You're one of the few humans that do, and that makes you pretty special. The sad thing is, everyone's just so used to the way things are that it's impossible to ever change them to behave any differently, even if they know what they're doing is wrong," Amy said.

"Maybe we can make a difference," he said to her, "You never know. I'm sure that if we tried, we could do something about it."

"Maybe," she replied. Mark looked over to Amy. He quickly became entranced in her once again.

"Beautiful," he said, looking up into the sky.

"What is?" she inquired.

"You, silly," he said, looking back at her.

"Depends on who's looking," she said.

Mark leaned over to embrace Amy. Her arms reached around him in return, and he quickly felt Amy's body press into his. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were in another deep, long kiss that lasted for what seemed like an eternity.

They broke apart from each other and then walked back inside to get lunch. After lunch and more talking, followed by more kissing, they say down in front of the TV, Amy sitting on Mark's lap and Mark holding her tight.

They watched TV for a while, and before they knew it, over an hour had passed.

A knock on the door signaled for them to check the time, and it was already past 3. Mark looked at Amy.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know. It might be someone trying to sell something to us," she said.

They both walked over to the door. Checking who it was, they spotted a man in a brown coat and hat standing outside, hands in his pockets.

Mark opened the door, and instantly the man outside pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Mark.

"You're under arrest," he said, "You'll come on out without a fight if you know what's good for you."

"For what exactly?" Mark asked, shocked at this happening all of a sudden and without warning.

"You know exactly what. I was only expecting to make one arrest today, too. Never had any idea there'd be a traitor with her," he said, an obviously hint at why they were being arrested.

It was a shock to both of them. For a minute Amy stared at Mark, wondering if he could have possible told someone, but she had been with him ever since she admitted to him she was a Diclonius, and there was no chance for him to have betrayed her in the first place.

Then it stuck both of them like a load of bricks. When they had gone out in the morning and Amy had forgotten her ribbon, they thought that no one would be up that early. Apparently someone had seen them and reported Amy to the police. It could have been just about anyone, too. Even the ones that she didn't know in the neighborhood still knew where she lived and could provide an address even if they didn't know her name.

"What do we do?" Mark frantically said to Amy.

"Look, there's nothing you can do. Just come along with me. Maybe you we can spare you, if you come along now and agree to say she dragged you into this and you didn't want any part of it," the cop told him.

"There's no way I'm going to do that," he said, "You just don't get it."

"I'll shoot," he responded.

An empty glass flew from the opposite side of the room towards the doorway. It flew between Amy and Mark and out the door, hitting the cop in the head. The glass broke into a few pieces, but it wasn't as hard as it could have been. The cop was knocked unconscious, though.

"We don't have much time," Amy told Mark. She began to run about the room getting things she might need.

"We're just going to run? We can't leave everything behind!" he said.

"No, Mark. We're not leaving everything behind. We have each other, don't we? Look, I know what I'm doing. This has been in the back of my mind my entire life. I've played this out countless times in my head. All that was ever missing was you," she said quietly, "Will you join me or are you going to leave me like everyone else?"

"It's just so sudden. I'm so surprised, Amy. Just a minute ago everything was fine, and now we're leaving?" he said.

"Run. It's all we can do. Right now more cops are coming here. I'm sure they're bringing Hunters, too. Just plain cops don't have the training they need to catch a Diclonius, apparently. I don't want to risk it either way. We have to run," she told him.

They got everything they needed, and then Mark noticed something: the small memorial they had built to Darlene.

"Keep it, Mark. If you're ever in trouble, maybe then you'll find a meaning to it beyond what we know already. You found Darlene. She means more to you than she means to me," Amy said.

Running outside, they got into the car and left, the unconscious policeman still at their doorstep. They got into Mark's car, because they probably had a record of Amy's car and now that she was identified, they would definitely know it's license plate number. At least if they tracked Mark's car, they would have to take the time to make sure that Amy was actually with Mark in his car, since they weren't so sure about Mark being with Amy in the first place.

They started driving out of the city. They knew that as long as they were in a different place, it would be much harder to track them down and the people there would probably not have any idea Amy was even a Diclonius since the police data wasn't that widespread.

Before long, however, a police helicopter began to fly over them, and they could hear distant sirens sounding. Mark looked at Amy, and she looked back with a face of desperation. Her eyes glowed with a sadness he had never seen before in them, and it seemed as if they both knew that this was it.

"I'm sorry, Mark," she said.

"I came this far with you willingly because I love you, and I'll still stay by your side no matter what," he replied.

"I don't want to kill anyone," she said.

"I know you don't, but even if you do I won't look down on you," Mark told her.

"Thank you," she told him.

It was not a good time nor place, but they both reached over to kiss each other, and they didn't let go even when the sirens came close and the policemen stepped out of their cars to get them.

They stepped out of the car side by side, only to be met by a circle of guns.

"Put your hands in the air," one of the policemen said, "Don't move or we'll shoot."

One of the policemen stepped forward with handcuffs. Amy began to tighten up, a look of sudden determination on her face. As the policeman stepped close to them, the handcuffs suddenly flew from his hands and hit him in the head. Before anyone knew what was going on, the policeman's head flew helplessly off as one of Amy's vectors decapitated him.

A burst ran out from every direction, and Mark closed his eyes. Miraculously, the end never came, as Amy shielded them both from the gunfire with her vectors. One by one, the policemen literally came to pieces, limbs and torsos cut and dismantled like simple toys. So this was why humans were always so afraid of the Diclonius. Even someone as gentle as Amy was possible of this immense killing power. Blood was everywhere, and the sight and smell of it sickened Mark.

Mark felt something grab him, and suddenly he flew into the air along with Amy. A deep crack appeared in the concrete where Amy has struck it with her vectors to lift into the air, and the force propelled them like a rocket upwards at an angle. They flew by the helicopter and before he knew it Mark saw the tail of the vehicle come off, the whole thing tumbling towards the ground with flames shooting out of what was left of the back end of it. With another slash of her vectors, the main propeller jammed up and broke off, then it too started falling uselessly to the ground.

It seemed like minutes, but the destruction of the helicopter took under a second. As they zoomed past it, Mark looked back at the heap of destruction Amy had caused singlehandedly, and was stunned at the sight. Then he realized they were almost flying through midair.

"This is insane!" he yelled to her.

"This is an interesting life," she said back.

"I can't believe you really killed all those people," he said to her. She stared back, her red eyes glowing like there was a fire inside. It was almost a look of hatred, and for a minute she appeared to be an incarnation of evil.

"I do what I have to," she said indifferently, "It's not that bad anyways."

"Not that bad? They're human lives, Amy, no matter how poorly they choose to spend them," he said to her.

"Sure they are. If you say-" Amy suddenly screamed and Mark felt her vectors let go of him. They both started to flop towards ground. Mark looked at Amy, and the innocent, gentle look of care returned to her face, hidden under the pain of whatever had hit her.

It was a beam of life coming from behind them. They hit the grassy ground near a small patch of woods with a dull thud, both of them bouncing a little. It hurt like hell, but neither of them felt anything was seriously injured. The Hunters had found them.

Mark realized he had still been holding the box that held Darlene's memorial. He dropped it when he hit the ground, but after looking around for a second he saw it and picked it back up. It was still unharmed, and he was surprised that such a case would withstand a fall like that, even if it was into a patch of grass.

Mark saw a rope with a hook on the end whip towards Amy, and it wound itself around her arm tightly. Amy tried to cut the rope, but for some reason she couldn't. The Hunters stepped forward into view of Mark and Amy.

"Mark! My vectors aren't working!" she cried out in desperation.

"Of course they're not," one of the Hunters said, "That beam disables the use of vectors for a while. You're coming with us."

Amy looked at Mark. He could see in her eyes she knew she was doomed.

"Mark, run! Run away, and don't think about me!" she cried out, "You've still got a chance."

The last words were spoken in a soft whisper, a loving tone that told Mark everything he could want to know. He saw the man who was holding the rope snap it upwards, and Amy flew in towards them.

"Run!" she yelled out for him.

One of the Hunters drew a fist back and landed a hard punch to Amy's face. She screamed in pain, and after a minute of catching her breath, she cried out again.

"Run, Mark. It's all you can do..." she said, weaker than before.

Mark ran. As fast as he could, his eyes closed, tears streaming down from them. The world had taken his world. The love of his life was now behind him, screaming and begging for his safety. He heard another punch land, and Amy screamed again. The last words he heard were the Hunters giving a radio signal to the police for his capture, and then, eyes closed and running, he heard more screams, louder than ever in his mind.

They had taken his everything. There was nothing left. Nothing left. He charged forward blindly with all his strength, pain tearing into his destroyed heart.

Clutching onto the small box for dear life, with tears streaming down his face and his emotions in shambles, he ran.


	8. Chapter 8

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 8

Ultima66

"That's it," Mark said, Janet taking it all in, "I loved and I lost."

"Why don't you just tell it off? You could lie and say you had nothing to do with her," Janet replied.

"Of course I could, but I might be in trouble for lying in the first place, and besides, I don't want to. I care too much about Amy," he said.

"Sure you do. I don't see how you could like someone like that anyways," she responded.

"Well it's not your business. Just because she's a Diclonius doesn't make her less of a person you know," he said.

"You're an idiot, Mark. I care about you and I want to see you come out of here alive, but seriously you're an idiot. I don't see Amy here, do you? She's dead for all you know, and you still go on trying to honor her," she yelled at him, "I came here to see if I could do anything for you after years of being away, and you won't even listen to reason."

"It's not just for her," he said, pulling a small box out from under his shirt, "It's for her too, Darlene."

"Mark, why do you do it? You always have your head up in the clouds or something. It wouldn't hurt to think a bit more before doing stuff if you plan on living till you're at least 35," she told him.

"You know neither of us will probably live past 35 and you know damn well why," he said.

"I'm planning on living for a long time, and I know how. You should too," she said.

"There are some sacrifices worth making, Janet," he said, looking down.

"Of course there are. And this one isn't. First of all, I think you're stupid for even trying this. Second of all, even if you did believe Diclonius shouldn't be treated this way and they're like us, then you should think about staying alive to let others know that, not that I think you're gonna stay alive with that attitude or belief anyways. Furthermore, I know there are sacrifices worth making. Everyone has to sacrifice their dignity and lie if they wanna make it," she said in an angry voice.

"Well I guess we see everything differently. Is this why we stopped talking to each other?" he asked.

"No, we stopped talking to each other because I moved away for college and I never really cared that much about our parents to come back often," she answered.

"No, that's not it. We always fought when we were living together. You always thought I was stupid. I never really wanted to get ahead of anyone," he said.

"That too. It's the same damn argument, Mark. The same damn argument..." she trailed off.

"Are you mad at me? I'm happy as I am, and you despise that I could be happy in these conditions. I'm still content with my life even though you think my ideas are all wrong. If you're mad at me you can go ahead and be mad." he said.

"I'm a bit mad at you, yes," she said, "But it's not because of you. I just wonder if I have to really learn anything from you. It's different, happiness for us. You know how hard I worked? In school, I worked almost all the time when I wasn't in school, and I still had to study. I got maybe 10 hours of sleep a week, if that much, and that's just from dozing off during weekdays, I guess. I'd say more than half of that time was during weekends, and it's still only 3 hours or so because I had to study for tests."

"Janet, I really had no idea. I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry. I told you, I've still got things to learn from you, apparently," she said, "But that's not all. To get the money for school I had to work during the summer too. I held 2 day job and a night job, still barely any sleep. I didn't eat much either, since my schedule was so busy I tended to skip meals to get to work on time or to get sleep. I became really sick. It went on like that for a long time, too. I finally checked in to a hospital most of the way through my third year, since even if I had to miss school I'd be able to pass. They said if it had gone on for any longer I could have died. They told me I had at most 3 more months at that rate."

Mark saw tears come to her eyes, and he began to want to cry, too. "Why didn't you ever tell any of this to our parents? Maybe you could have gotten some financial help," he said, "They had some money."

"Mark, you're the kind of person who is kind of smart, but dumb at the same time. You have contempt towards people for hurting you, and you can really be irrational about it. When I came here you were mad at the world. It's the same world you've lived in for so long now, why does it suddenly bother you? You just never noticed it, since you think more about yourself. Me, I'm the kind of person who has contempt towards people better than me. I notice people around me all the time. I couldn't have borrowed money from out parents, nor accepted it as a gift. I'd think I was less than them if I had. Anyways, I passed that year on the borderline, spending months in the hospital. I finally decided to take out a loan from the bank to finish school without killing myself of fatigue. I didn't graduate at the top of the class because of what happened that year, but after I did graduate all my professors and my doctor and a lot of my classmates threw a party just for me. It made me feel even more like working that hard was the only way to live and succeed, and I guess you're proving to me it's not," she said crying.

"I really didn't know. I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry, Mark. You shouldn't be. I made up my mind a long time ago to be apart from my family, and until now, it's happened. I made myself completely independent and isolated, and this is who I am. I... I never went to that party, Mark. I called and said I wouldn't be coming since I had to work, and started hanging up on them and turned off the phone when they kept calling me to tell me to go. When I arrived at work I found out that I had been fired because they needed me somewhere else and not at my usual office and tried to call me but couldn't reach me. I turned on my phone and found hundreds of missed calls, voice mails, and messages. They just kept on calling. I turned off my phone again. I decided to go home and get some sleep for the night job I had to work – I know I shouldn't have but I needed to pay off the loan and I began falling back into old habits. I woke up at maybe 10 at night, and I got like 8 hours of sleep finally, and turned on my phone. Hundreds of more missed calls. They called again 5 minutes after I turned on the phone and I picked up. It was one of my friends. She said everyone was still there. Everyone. And the party still hadn't started yet. They really cared about me, Mark, and now I can't believe I let them down," she continued crying, now harder than before, "They finally left the next morning, and one of my friends came over to say sorry to me that they had bothered me so much. Can you believe that? I stood them up for so many hours and they were sorry to me. They did everything for me and I took none of it."

Mark felt nauseous, and something ate at him inside that felt almost like the time Amy admitted she was a Diclonius. "I... I really can't say anything," he told her.

"Mark, look at you. You look alright. Now look at me. I'm so pale. I'm thinner than I should be. It's from those years, Mark. Now that I really think about it I wonder how I ever did that in the first place," she said.

"And I wonder how I could have forgotten you for so long," Mark said, "Janet, I would hate to think what I would feel like if something had happened to you. I love you, you know. We're siblings."

"No, Mark. You don't love me, and I don't love you. I made sure of that years ago. You care about me since you knew me in the past, but you don't really love me. And no matter what you want, I'm never going to empathize with your problem either. So you think my life is sad, big deal. Things like this happen, Mark, and you don't really think that much of it because you just shouldn't," she told him.

"That's not true. It can't be. How can family members not love each other?" he asked.

"Our parents loved us. You love them, but you don't really love me. I don't love any of you. You see, Mark, they gave birth to me. From the way they treated us, I know they loved us. I distanced myself from you on purpose, you know. I didn't love any of you and I didn't want to make you think you did love me," she said.

"It just doesn't seem right," he said.

"Well then you can take some time to think about it. I'm gonna go, Mark. You're not going to see me again. I've to things to think about myself, now. Well, if I see you again, then it'll be because I'm looking for you, but I won't be looking for you for a long time, if ever. Take care of yourself, if you can, anyways. You're probably going to die, just so you know. Try not to die depressed about your older sister," she told him.

She walked out, leaving behind a misty silence that seemed surreal. Mark felt cold. It was like he had no one. Just when he felt he could really understand his sister, she walked away. Fate played tricks on his heart so often, he wondered if he would ever stop being the fool. He wished he could just see Amy one more time.

A guard came in. "Alright now, it's lights out. Everyone better sleep, and don't do anything funny because the night shift will get you and you'll be in hot water. Got that?"

The room echoed with his voice. No response, just as he was used to. It was better not to talk to the cops. Even a response to a question could get you in trouble. Of course, not responding could get you in trouble too, but it had just been a pattern at the jail that no one responds when the cop talks to everyone, and it was real trouble to break a custom.

Mark felt the small glass box in his hands, lay down on the bed, and cradled it in his arms before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Everything was bright. Mark was in a classroom, sitting in a seat in the middle of the room. He felt a hat on his head and removed it to take a look at it. It was a stiff cowboy hat, which was strange considering he had never worn one in his life.

Suddenly, he heard the room explode in whispers. People all around him started saying "look at Mark." The teacher looked up. It someone appearing to be Janet, but something was different. Suddenly, he noticed what was different. Everyone around him was a Diclonius, horns and all.

"You know the rules, Mark. I'm sorry, you'll have to come with me," Janet told him.

She led him out of the classroom and into the building. It was just like how he remembered his high school. When they had gotten to a room that was where the teacher's lounge would have been, the dream Janet stopped. She took a key out of her pocket and opened the locked door with it.

It was a plain room, nothing in particular. In fact, there was no window in the room, and on the opposite side was another door. The floor was made up of tile and looked like it was cleaned more often than normal. A single box sat to the side of the room.

They walked in and Janet closed the door. She walked over to the box.

"I want you to open that door," she said.

"What?" Mark turned to her and asked, "That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm telling you to open the door. Just do it," she said.

Mark reached his hand for the doorknob, but before he could even touch it a sharp cold pain erupted in his back. He jumped and turned and saw Janet, holding on to the handle of a bloody knife that she had taken out of the box.

"Sorry, Mark, but you know the rules. Humans can't be alive, or else the world will someday be infested with them. It just can't happen, can it? Don't you want to see the world be a better place? Well I'm making it happen for you. Just think of it as a gift to everyone else," she said.

He blacked out.

He awoke in an even stranger place. He was behind the cash register of a store. He felt weak. His whole body ached, and he could barely stand up. He wanted to throw up. He looked around, and a clock nearby said it was 5:00 a.m.

The world seemed to spin around him, and he could only take weak short breaths through the pain in his chest. Someone came in.

"Hey, can you tell me the way to the airport?" the man grunted. He was a medium-height man with a pretty heavy build.

"I... I... I'm sorry, I don't know," Mark replied. It shocked Mark how weak his voice was.

"What'd you say? You don't know? I can barely hear you anyways. I'll just find another place to ask, goddamn kids," he said, walking out.

He looked down. What seemed to be a textbook stared back into his eyes, almost unable to see from being so weary. His stomach felt empty and he wanted to throw up, or more like he was going to throw up, had there been anything in his stomach to actually come out. His stomach burned. Ulcers? He yawned and even the intake of air from that pained him greatly.

Suddenly, he felt a soothing touch on his chest, and he was back in the jail cell. A shadow stood over him. He looked down and it was floating off the ground.

"Shhhh..." it whispered, "It's me, Amy. Now don't make a sound, and come out with me. I'll explain later."

"How-" he started to ask.

"I told you not to talk," she whispered. She lifted him up with her vectors and silently they floated out the window of his jail cell, the bars gone from it.

Mark saw her outside in the moonlight. She was bruised somewhat badly, but she kept her radiance an beauty still.

"Mark, we can get to the woods without making any noise and without getting seen. I have a car in the woods, so no one will notice when we go in the car that you broke out. Then we'll drive away. I might not be accepted as I am no matter where I go, but in another city, they won't know us, and we'll be fine," she said, "We can still run."

"Amy, how did you..." he started.

"I'll tell you in the car," she said. They continued floating, Mark now gripping Amy, feeling warm now that the nightmare was over and that Amy was alright.

Just as Amy had planned, they got to the woods and into their car without being seen or heard.

"Alright, now tell me," he said.

"Well, Mark. I saw you run away. I wanted you to run, but seeing it for myself made me find will in myself to fight. I fought. I committed murder, too, and it had to be that way. I stayed in hiding and snooped around to find out where you were, and I decided I had to break you out. I knew you thought I was dead, and it would be completely unfair if I was alive and you died not knowing it, so I had to save you. You gave me courage, too, Mark. You really inspired me," she told him.

"I don't really inspire anyone, Amy," he said.

"No, but I love you, and that inspires me," she told him.

"Amy, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know you're alright. My sister talked to me in there," he said.

"Really? What did she say?" she asked.

"Well, I haven't seen her for years. I told her all about us and how it all happened, and she thinks I'm crazy. She told me how hard her struggle through life had been. I had no clue," he said, "She worked so hard through school that she got really sick, and when her friends threw a party for her after she graduated after all the trouble, she never went since she wanted to work."

"It sounds horrible," Amy said.

"I dreamed I was her," he said, "It hurt. My whole body hurt more than I could have ever imagined. I have no idea how she did it. We disagree about everything, but I'm still shocked she could have been that strong."

"And she disagrees about me?" Amy asked.

"Well, unfortunately, she does," Mark said to her.

"That's to be expected," she said.

"She knows that too. She doesn't want to change me or anything, she just feels differently," he said, "But she wants me to try not to get myself killed."

"That's good to hear. It's nice when siblings get along. You love her?" she asked.

"No, I mean, I do, but then... Okay well she said we don't love each other and she made sure to it when she left the family a long time ago for her education. She said she never loved us and she just didn't want to make things worse if I had loved her so she just left. I mean, I think I do, but then she says I don't, so I don't really know," he said, "And it's not like how I love you, since we're siblings, and I don't have another sibling that I do love so I'm not so sure either way."

"Mark, you're really confusing sometimes," she told him, "Then again, you confuse yourself."

"Haha, I guess I do, don't I?" he responded jokingly. He had only been with Amy a little while and he was already feeling better.

"So you're alright now?" she said.

"Well, with you around, yeah," he responded.

"Mark, you're the luckiest guy I have ever known. You should do some work. You wanna drive?" she asked him.

"Why? You want me to?" he asked.

"Well I was the one who had stayed up so long to get the plan in place and to get you up. I'm tired, and I don't want to get in a wreck or anything. We're almost out of the state anyways. Why don't you take us out?" she said.

"That would be great, Amy," he said, and they both smiled at each other.

They pulled over at a stop, and they switched seats. Amy sat loosely and stared down sleepily. Mark started driving and she leaned her head back and slightly opened her eyes.

Mark drove for a few minutes until they reached the state line. Amy stared up at the sign that said they were leaving the city and state lines. They passed holding their breaths, but nothing happened.

Amy exhaled. "Thank God," she said, and she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Mark kept on driving, following the highway.

They drove on and on. The world could change. Their lives surely would, and they knew they could change the world if they tried. If not them, who else? Mark grinned as he thought of being able to change the world, and he was happy when he saw the orange rays of sunrise strike the horizon. It was beautiful, just like that day he spent with Amy. Beautiful like the force of will his sister had shown. The world could be beautiful, he suddenly realized, and he knew that he would have to try to make it that way.


	9. Chapter 9

Less Than Fantasy, More Than Reality – Chapter 9  
Ultima66

Mark looked out the window. The world around seemed to glow with a sparkle of hope, but ironically, at the same time, he knew there was tension in the air. All of their problems were still there, still stalking in the shadows for a chance to strike back at them, and running away was just a quick fix that wouldn't last forever. They still needed a place to stay, and they could still be caught, though it would be a lot harder now. They were still isolated from the world – emotionally as well as physically.

After a long ride away from their hometown, they found a new city to stay in, though they couldn't really stay. The two of them simply stayed wherever peace could be found, usually in a clearing in the middle of some woods, or by a secluded pond where people wouldn't bother them. Soon after finding a temporary place to stay Mark went to look for a job, and was quickly given one by a local convenience store whose business was doing poorly and simply needed someone to watch over the store so the manager didn't have to bother with it much. The pay wasn't much, not that Mark expected it to be much, and at least they had some money, so they got what they needed. Still, there was no real shelter for them except for their car, and they couldn't live in it.

Mark and Amy were always, in a way, dreadfully tired of the life there, but it wasn't any kind of work that caused it, but simply the tension of being on the run. Night after night they could wake up and wonder if they heard someone around who was after them. One of them would wake up, shivering and scared, and wake up the other, and they would both worry about each other's safety and hold each other until they went back to sleep.

It went on like that for a few weeks.

"Mark, maybe we should just leave this place," Amy said, Mark still half-asleep.

"Huh? Amy? Oh… Well, where else is there to go anyways? We left one place already, our very own hometown, and it we leave here, what will we do? Why do you want to leave anyways?" he asked her.

"You don't feel it? I know you do. I'm sick of worrying here. I wish I could relax," she replied.

"Then just try. I know it's hard, and I have trouble myself, but we're in a bad place right now, and we'll just have to sit it out until things get better. What's so wrong about being here anyways?" he asked.

"Nothing's wrong, but I'm not happy here, and neither are you. Wouldn't things be better if we just lived alone, without the rest of the people in the world around us? I mean, it's crazy, but couldn't we do it? We really don't need or want a misinformed society that would hate us if they really knew us surrounding us all the time, wanting to tell us when we should live and when we should die, and all the things that we have to be to be perfect in their eyes," she replied.

"So you think we can just go out in the wilderness and live among the animals or something?" he said.

"Well, they're better company than most humans at least," Amy said.

"When you put it like that…" he responded. He sighed and turned closer to Amy, closing his eyes and sensing her warmth around him. They held each other close, neither needing to really say a word, since they both felt the pain and suffering of each other as a single unit and they each knew how the other felt. It was an act of kindness in a cruel world, and they each embraced it in the only way one can embrace true kindness. "Amy… Do you ever think of what we're going to be leaving behind us when we're gone?"

Amy opened her eyes and looked at him. "Of course not," she said, gaze turning back towards the ground. "It's all pointless you know, wondering about what the world will be like after we're gone."

"But Amy, we really don't have anything here. Just a car, a little money that I can barely keep coming in, and each other. But that won't last, and no one will care when we're gone, and all we really have that's important is memories. Nothing we have really matters to anyone but us, right?" he asked her, a little taken aback by Amy's comment.

"So what's wrong with that? Look, Mark, I know you're surprised by it, but I can't care about the future after I'm gone. I guess I was at some point, but I don't need a legacy any more, even if you feel we should have one. Have you really looked at the world, Mark? I don't care enough for this wasteland to want to leave anything behind when I go. All that'll happen to it are the vandals of this world will just tear it apart," she said to him, her tone darkening as she began to get mad.

"I don't want you to be mad, Amy. I just thought that everyone would want to make a difference in the world. That's what everyone tries for, right? It's like, after anyone dies, they just leave behind all the things that they had and all that happened in their lives, and then that's all anyone remembers. Don't you want to have made a difference for someone?" he asked her.

"No, Mark, I don't, and that's why…" she hesitated, "I wonder if all this is right. I wonder if it was ever right for a Diclonius to be with a human, and if I should have ever given my heart to you. It's these little fundamental differences that make us seem worlds apart at times. See, humans like you, they always have these hopes and dreams, talking about how they want all this and that in the future," she said to him, "But then, Diclonius, I guess we just don't expect as much. We know our place, and our place isn't to succeed in this world, not at anything. I guess we really do think completely differently. Maybe it's because I'm a Diclonius and you're not, but I sure hope it's just because we lived through different upbringings, because I'd really hate to lose you, Mark."

"So, nothing at all in this world is important to you," he said, starting to worry himself sharing the deeply dreaded anxieties that Amy was having at the moment.

"Of course things are important to me, but it's just…" she said, "Well I mean look at you. You're extremely important to me. I just know that as a Diclonius, there's only so far I can get, and you, as someone who's also on the run, you can only get so far too. I only expect so much, and I guess I feel like it's a waste of time to even try to expect more from my life. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but that's my personal opinion, and I guess I expected a little of it in you too."

"I doubt that it's because you're a Diclonius, Amy. You were just raised in a different world than I was: you were always scared of things, never given a chance to even want to succeed," he said, "but it's not your fault, and I'm sure we can get somewhere, as long as we're together, don't you think?"

"Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. I'm not in a mood to think about it right now, though. The fact is, there's still definitely going to be some major differences between humans and Diclonius, and those differences can't ever be entirely resolved. Like when I got mad, I know for a fact my personality completely turned around. It's not like humans… I'm not like most humans in at least that way. Diclonius were meant to kill humans, and I can't entirely deny my blood no matter how hard I try," she said.

"Well you realize that Diclonius are humans too," he said.

"Technically, but there's differences that go beyond external appearance. I don't want to argue things like wording right now; I'm worried enough as is," Amy said. "Anyways, Mark, do you think we should do it or not?"

"Do what again? Oh, right, going away. Well, Amy, there's a lot I think we can stand to gain from being here. There's Diclonius all over the world, and there's got to be a lot of them on the run just like us, and if we stay here we might find someone like us: even someone that just might be able to help us. I don't think we should leave yet," he said.

They held each other tight until the warmth of their bodies terminated the biting cold of the surrounding wilderness, and fell back to sleep, wondering if and when it would all be over and things would get better.

Work for Mark was, in a word, uneventful. The business was dying, and the manager simply wanted it to be there since he liked saying he could own a store. He was a pretty rich man, and he could deal with not earning much from the store, so long as he could make at least a little profit and he didn't have much work to do, so he hired Mark to take care of the store. Still, the store seemed not to be profiting much if it was earning any money at all, and sales were very slow, so Mark didn't have anything to do most of the time while he worked there.

It was early in the morning when a man in a large brown trench coat walked into the store. He had on boots and a brown hat that partially obscured his facial features, giving him the appearance of a detective. He was definitely quite tall, and his appearance gave Mark the impression that this man didn't belong in this store. The man walked up to the counter slowly and deliberately.

"You're name's Mark, right?" he asked.

"Well, yes. What's your name, if I may ask, and why are you looking for me?" he responded, wondering if he was in trouble.

"Look, you're not in trouble. I'm not here to get you or take you anywhere. I'm just wondering if you could use some help. I've had my eye on you for about a week now, and I know you and that young lady you're always with could use shelter, among other things, and I can help you with it. The name's Roy, and I'm on the run just like you two," he said.

"I don't know right now," Mark replied, still wondering about it.

"Well, I have a place, and it's big enough for all of us to stay there, and fact is, we really should stick together. Divided, we stand much less of a chance in this world, and if we stay together, it's less dangerous, right?" Roy asked.

"I'll talk to Amy about it, I guess," he replied, still wondering whether or not it would really be safe to be with another person who happened to be on the run. Roy was a mystery, and Mark couldn't even be sure Roy wasn't after them and it was all just a trick.

"Well, then, if you decide to take me up on my offer, come by my place and we'll talk about it in private," he said, leaving a note on the counter. On it was his address. Roy walked out of the store, got into his car, and drove away, leaving a hesitant and worried Mark there, staring out at the road which Roy left on.

Mark took the note and put it into his pocket. He held onto it until he finally got off work later that day, and walked out and started driving home. A lot was on his mind, but he decided it was best not to think about it until he could have a good long talk with Amy about it. Until then, anything he decided would be simply impulse rather than a real decision, and he ran the risk of Amy getting mad at him.

The drive back felt long and tiring, with all the tensions of every day on his mind and the worry that Roy might be dangerous to them. Now, he really considered Amy's proposal of leaving town and just living out there alone. Now that he really did find someone who might be able to help, he was sitting there scared and worried about whether it was exactly what they needed or simply too good to be true. He found the place where they were staying for that day, and pulled into the woods there, stopping the car when it was sufficiently hidden and he could see Amy there waiting for him.

"Hey, Amy, there's something you should know," he told her.

"Hm, Mark? What is it?" she asked.

"Well, someone came up to me at work this morning. He said he was on the run just like us, and if we wanted to, we could stay with him," he said.

"That's great, I guess," she asked, "What else do you know about him?"

"Well, that's just the thing, I don't really know anything about him. He basically told me that much and then left. He's a pretty tall guy, and he looks kind of mysterious, and he said he'd been watching us. You think he's safe?" Mark asked.

"Actually, that kind of makes me worry too. Still, it's not like we have anything to lose, and we need somewhere to go. If this guy's really offering a place for us to stay, then I guess we don't have much of a choice but to take him up on his offer," she said, "Let's at least talk to him seriously about it all first."

They got in the car and drove to Roy's house, asking for directions from a few people they met on the way. The house looked decent, almost too decent for someone who said he was in trouble. Mark rang the doorbell and Roy opened the door and welcomed them into the house.

"Well, you came, and not a minute too late, either," he said, "Come on in and have a seat."

"So Roy, you're a Diclonius too, aren't you?" Amy said to him.

"Yeah, so I am. It's a wonder no one has figured it out in this town yet, but I had to run away from my last home too. Still, I've been here for several months now and it's nice. I've saved up a lot of money from work inheritance from my old home, and just bought this house as soon as I got here, so I'll be here for a while if they don't find me," he said.

"I see," Amy said, "You know, we really don't have any choice but to stay here with you. I guess we have to make do."

"So I guess this'll be a house for 3 people now," Mark said.

"Yeah, I guess. It's surprising to me you're not a Diclonius, Mark. Amy's definitely a catch, though, from what I can see," he responded.

"Let's not talk about that," Amy said, turning her head downwards.

"Well, I'll go get something for you guys then, and you can look over this place if you want," Roy said, walking about of the room.

"I don't like him," Amy said, "He's got what we need but it feels like it's not gonna be all the way he's making it out to be. He just seems like he's doing it just to have us around in case he gets in trouble. I don't see someone like him just going and helping any random person, especially if he says he's been watching us."

"I know, but it's this or we leave, right? It's not like we have much of a choice there," Mark replied.

"We could leave, but I guess it'll be better being here anyways," she said, looking down as if she was worried. Mark moved over to her and whispered into her ear.

"Amy, I know this isn't easy for either of us. We have to trust things will get better, though. Please don't worry, for my sake?" he said. Amy looked up to him with a look of sadness.

"I don't want to worry, either. Mark, my life would be the same without you. I'd still be in trouble and I'd still have to go on the run at some point. But you, I'm worried for your sake. It feels like I've dragged you into all this and you should be safe from the world but I made a mistake and now you have to pay for it," she told him.

"Well you never have to worry about that, Amy, because first of all, you've saved my life more than once now, and secondly, because I love you and I'll be here to stick it out with you till the end. You've done nothing to my life that I feel shouldn't have happened," he said, "That's just how it's going to be. There's no choice to be made on your part. Even if you had told me this earlier I wouldn't have wanted to leave you."

"Thank you, Mark..." she whispered, "I don't know what I'd do without your support."

Roy walked back into the room holding a couple of drinks.

"You think the place is alright?" he asked them.

"Yeah, we'll stay here for now, and see where it goes from there, I guess," Mark said.

"I'll open up the window to get some air. Just remember, Mark, this is your new place now. I've got enough money to support us and nothing to do with it, so you don't even have to work. If you need something just tell me and I'll get it for you," he said, going over to the curtains and pulling them open.

Outside the window, the whole horizon could be seen, the sun just beginning to fall. This day, the clouds were obscuring most of the sky, but still they put out a radiant glow from the sunlight illuminating them from behind. Mark held Amy's hand in reassurance that things would be alright, and then a sense of hope brightened their hearts. "We're glad to have met you, Roy," Mark said.

"Yes, thanks for everything," Amy said, staring back at Mark, finally beginning to smile about their situation.


End file.
